Escaflowne Returns: Shiryoku's Visions
by Japanimejo
Summary: Dornkirk has come back from the grave to complete his research on the fate alteration machine and Escaflowne.Now Hitomi's daughter must choose the planets fates...which planet must she destroy?Who does she believe?Marius or Van? R&R PLZ!
1. Default Chapter

Prologue: Angel Fallen, Angel Flying  
  
~Trudging back home from school today was a pain more than usual. I looked around as I passed by the usual sights. Things seemed oddly peaceful today. The leaves were gently being pushed off the branches of the trees; they fell so slowly and quietly to the ground. I wanted to collapse just like the leaves. I didn't want to walk anymore; I just wanted to collapse but knew I couldn't. I had to go home and take care of Momma even after being so exhausted from last night studying for my hardest exam. "I wonder what I can make mother for dinner...," I pondered to myself as I rounded the street corner to a house that displayed a small sign above the threshold. The sign read "Kanzaki." "That should be inside," I said as I thought to myself. "Everyone and their neighbor knows that mother and I are Akane's...even though we both denounce that man...I guess that is what you get for being forced to love someone...a love-starved mother and a nowhere to be found father...." As I approach the house, I open the door slowly and and slip my shoes off. "Mom"? My voice echoes through the house quietly. "Mom," I called out again just a little louder. I walk to the back of the house and see the door to her bedroom is closed. I push it open just enough to see inside. *Gasp.* I push the door even further open. In blue crayon all over the wall was some strange type of writing. Plus there were feathers from her winter pillows floating all over the place. I simply stood there; I couldn't believe my eyes. "I think she gets worse as the days get longer," I mumble to myself. I walk over to the writing on the wall closest to me. "I wonder how I am going to get this off the walls... It's the same characters over and over... "I wonder what it says," I mumble to myself. I reach out to touch the writting on the wall in front of me. Suddenly, I feel like my hand is burining. The room turns from white feathers and blue writting to red fire. It's so hot! I look behind me and there are two huge pieces of machinary fighting agianst each other. In the background, a kingdom is being burned. To my right, there is a knight, a cat girl, a crew of men, a man, and a beautiful princess. To my left, there is a malevoleant army of men. They all had a menacing look on their faces. Behind them stood black armor like the two that were fighting. I stand in horror and disbelief of what I am seeing. A black feather hits my nose and I look above me. There floating right above my head is a man with black wings and a woman with white wings holding a man in her arms. I turn back around to the original way I was facing. There standing in front of me is my mother when she was my age! "She's being held close by a boy...I recognize this story the pictures are painting"! My mother looks at the boy with a look that I have seen on her face only when she tells me that story she used to tell me when I was very young. She whispers something to him...."One angel falls back to the green Earth, the other angel takes to the blue skies, forever flying high." "What's that supposed to mean..." I wonder quietly to myself. Suddenly everything around me goes black and the earth moves from beneath my feet. I let out a shrill scream crying out for someone to catch me. I thrust out a hand hoping someone will grab it and take me in their arms back to safety. "Wake me up! I don't want to be like mother! I don't want these visions!" Abruptly , my fall into space is stopped by the boy that had been holding my mother. He unfolds his wings and sets me gently on the ground. I am so naucious that I just pass out and do not get to see even a glimpse of his face or even just say arigatou. I open my eyes slowly. A couple of feathers are still floating in the air above me. I roll over and sit up. "I passed out," I say quietly., "I wonder how long it was this time." I slowly pull myself up from the ground. "Mom"? I yell again. This time I walk upstairs to my bedroom and bathroom but still no sign of her. I walked back down the stairs, through the threshold, and out into the yard. I took in a deep breath of air and let out a sigh. I glanced up at the moon. It was brighter than it usually was at this time of day. Then I saw movement. Mother was on the roof again. I rush back in the house and up the stairs yet again. I peek my head outside the window of my room. "Mom, it's not safe to be up here ya' know, why don't you come in and I'll cook us a nice, hot, wonderful supper tonight. I'll make your favorite"!  
I try to be as sweet and as persuasive as possible. She doesn't budge. She has that look on her face when she is absolutely determined to do something or has had a vision. "I can't move from this spot. You see my dear child, he's coming back for me. He's coming! I just know it!" I pull my head back inside my window. I shake it gently as I ponder what I should do. "She was smiling so maybe I should just leave her alone for a while. I'll just go cook supper..." As I pass by her room, I think to myself, "well this explains the feathers now..."   
********************  
When I was young, my mother used to tell me a bedtime story...It was a grand story about a far away planet, a prince, a knight, all their friends, and an ordinary girl from Earth. This crew of people shared many travels and tribulations together. They learned and destroyed the secret of Atlantis. The watched the legendary guymelef , Escaflowne, fight for different kingdom's peace . They also formed relationships with one another. Whether it was a friendship or a relationship was left up to the "gravity of destiny." One particular point of interest was that the girl from the Earth was absolutely doting on the knight because he reminded her of her crush from Earth. On the other hand, she sub-consciously had a crush on the prince. The prince didn't know how to own up to his feelings and therefore, made things even more complicated between the two. Eventually by the time the girl from Earth realized that she loved the prince, it was too late. The great war of the planet Gaea was over and Escaflowne needed to be retired. The prince wanted to see his kingdom without war and Escaflowne and as long as the girl remained present on Gaea, this could never be. So, she left... My mom called this story, "The Vision of Escaflowne."   
Oh! What a guy that prince must have been! First of all, he was a prince, then he had wings, and he was brave, protective, and caring...Dark hair, with translucent green eyes...He must have been loved by everyone he had ever met...I would give anything for a guy like that...I would give anything just to be accepted by my school friends and neighbors...  
*********************  
Before I knew it, the sun had hidden itself behind the horizion and my wonderful supper was ready to be eaten. I walked back outside and called up to the roof, "Mother, supper is ready"! "I'm not eating"! she stubbornly called back. I stomp back in the house and on up into the attic. "If the neighbors hear this, they will surely try to send her to the looney bin. She's the only thing I have and I am NOT going to let that happen to her. I know she had me when she was very young but it was an arranged marriage and her mother wanted someone to take care of her(instead of me, it was supposed to be Keichii Akane, her husband)...shortly after her mother died. "Mom," I called as I opened up the attic hatch to the roof. "If you don't get down from there now, the neighbors are going to start to talk again and they are gonna try to send you to the looney bin!" She slowly stands up with a defiant stance and look on her face. "Then let them talk, Shiryoku," she says sternly. "Because it doesn't matter what they think or say." She has a wild glare in her eyes. I begin to shrink back into the attic. She is scaring me even more than one of my visions. "If you feel something deep enough in the depths of your heart, your feelings will reach and be returned by that person. I have loved Van for over seventeen years now." "Okay, mom, you are truly beginning to worry me now...you acutally think you are the girl from your story?" I watch her fist clench and her teeth grit. "That's because I AM! My name is Kanzaki Hitomi, the girl from the Phantom Moon who visited the Planet Gaea. I fell in love with a Prince named Van de Slanzar Fanel from the kingdom of Fanelia. I had to leave though...I didn't want to..." Tears begin to welp up in my mother's eyes. I couldn't believe the assertation my mother had in her voice. She sounded so convinced that she had really been to that planet. "When I finally did return to Earth though, everyone thought that I was a basket case. That's why mother made me get married; that's why I had you...to convince everyone that I was "normal" and not crazy. But you experience it too don't you? You know what it is like to see things of blood, death, and destruction against your will. You know what it is like to see pictures flash before your eyes as if it were a movie." Her eyes and words peirced my soul along with my heart. I stood there quivering in fear. Never before has my mother predicted something so true about me. No, she has never volunteered to give me advice about life. But now, all of the sudden, she is telling me some of the most profound things I have ever heard and I am finally relating to her. She walks over to me and takes my hands in hers. "Shiryoku...I love you very much and I promise you I am not crazy..." She pulls my long mahoghany bangs back away from my face and kisses my forehead. "Of all the things I have accomplished in my life, I am most proud of you. Don't ever forget that." I stare at my mother in disbelief. I lean foward as tears fall from my face and glisten in the night air. "Momma," I say as I begin to sob uncontrollably. "Momma, I love you..." The tears just pour from my face like a waterfall. My mother just has this kind, understanding look on her face. In her eyes, I see that she is telling the truth..."Go inside and eat supper..." momma says quietly to me while running her fingers through my brown and red streaked hair, "I'll join you after I see the shooting star." She smiles so sweetly at me. "Hai," I say still sobbing while wipping the tears on my shirt sleeves with a smile on my face.  
*********************  
An hour passes, mother is still on the roof. I get bored so I go to her room and grab her tarot deck. "Hmmm...what silly question to ask tonight...I know! Is my Mom gonna be happy after Van arrives? I draw the first card: La Torre, the tower...it means trouble...not good...the second card: La Serpent, the snake/dragon...this isn't right...it can't be..." I pull the third card: La Fool, falsehood! "Mom," I yell as I drop the cards on the floor. I notice as I am running out that one card lays face up. It's blank- the spare...things have already been decided.   
*********************  
A boy sits in a throne room playing with a pendant. He silently sits swinging it back and forth. "Inch, ne,..." he counts softly to himself. "Van-Sama," calls a voice softly, "you shouldn't sit on the royal throne like that." "What does it matter Merlu? No one can see..." he replies laughingly. "But if it bothers you that much, I'll sit correctly," he says with a smile. "Van-sama, why do you smile so much here lately"? asks the cat-girl inquisitively. "Because..." he trails off smiling again, "I know she is out there and she's waiting for me to come and get her...if only i could." Merlu sits beside his throne and sighs. "Oh Van-sama..." she whispers with teary eyes. "She waits for me Merlu, I just know it..." he says more passionately than before. "Since when did you become such a hopeless romantic Van-sama"? "Since I have fallen in love Merlu"! He gets up from the throne and snatches the necklace in mid orbit. "I wonder...if this can create a column of light?" he mumbles while looking at the tiny jewl in his gloved hand. "But I know that Escaflowne can!" Van puts the necklace on. "I am going to find Dryden; he should know and I'll be back before nightfall." Van walks out the door and into the foyer of his newly built castle. He then steps on out on to the platform of the castle where he can see all of Fanelia. "She' s more beautiful than ever," he says with out stretched arms. He runs down the stairs jumping off the last one. He passes by a group of little kids and they all run to him. He hugs a couple and even carries one small child in his arms for a while. Merlu watches from the platform above. "I wish you would let her go...I understand you love her. But what about that person who has been here all along and has loved you all along?" The wind blows her robe now dotted with teardrops to the side. She quitely puts her pink cat hair behind her ears. "Will you ever love me like I love you Van-sama?"  
Van passes by Allen's summer home and since it was summer figured he would drop by and tell Allen about trying to get back to Hitomi. Van guessed correctly for Allen was home but there was a huge surprise waiting for him. Serena answered the door with a child in her hands. Van knelt in honor of the lady. "Lady Serena, I am sorry to disturb but is Allen-san home?" "Hai, he's here. C'mon in," she said sweetly. Van entered into the kitchen where it appeared that Allen was eating breakfast and reading his father's journal. "Allen Schezear, Knight of Heaven..." Van solemnly says as he pounds his fist against his chest as a sign of respect. Allen looks up from his book. "VAN! It's been a while my friend! " he says as they share a manly embrace. "Yes, it has been a while my friend. I have come to ask your opinion on something though." "And what would that be Van?" "I want to go to the Phantom Moon to bring Hitomi to Fanelia and make her my Queen! I love her more than anything and the days are so long without her by my side...I miss her soo much Allen and I wanted to know if you think it's possible that I could awaken Escaflowne just so I could travel to the Phantom Moon to get her." "I don't know Van..." he gets a concerned look on his face. "Escaflowne is a machine of war, just as the Schezearade. I don't use the Schezeade to travel in; no, I just use it as it was intended to be used. " Van's eyes portray disheartenment. "But I can't create a column of light...and Escaflowne is the only way I know how to get there for sure. I guess I will be on my way to Dryden." "That's a good idea; he generally knows his stuff like this," Allen says agreeing. Van's face turns to a purely confused look. "Since when did you and Dryden become friends," he asks. "Since when did you become such a hopeless romantic, Van Fanel," replies Allen with a grin. Van smiles back. "Hey, ummmm.... who's child has Serena got?" Allen smirks. He leans back in his chair, puts his hands behind his head, and closes his eyes. "Mine." Van stares at him in dead silence and disbelief. "Y-Y-Yours?" he finally stammars out. "Hai, the boy's mine. His name is Shiro," Allen says proudly. "You think it's gross don't you, Van?" Allen leans foward smiling even more than before. "No, not gross, it's just that I didn't expect you to settle down anytime soon," Van says turning ever so red in the face while timidly scratching the back of his head. Allen explains. "I killed three birds with one stone when I married Serena...1)I can watch and protect her, 2) I can keep the bloodline pure, but most importantly 3) I fell in love for the very first time." Van shakes his head to show that he understands. "Well, I wish you the best. You have mine and Fanelia's blessing Allen Schezear. But if you'll excuse me, I need to find Dryden!" Van pounds his hand against his chest again and leaves. He grabs a ride with a passer-by's carriage and heads to the outskirts of Fanelia.   
When Van arrives at Dryden's house, he quickly runs out to the garden in the back. "Lord Van?!?! Imagine that! What brings you here?" says Dryden as he pushes up his glasses. "I need to know how to make a column of light!" Van announces loudly. "A column of light?"says Dryden as he raises his eyebrows. "For what?" he says. Van once again says it proudly," SO I CAN MAKE HITOMI MY QUEEN!" "Oh, I see," says Dryden with a smirk. He looks at Van's necklace. "If I remeber right, I believe it was that very pendant right there that allowed the Draconians to make their wishes come true and bring Hitomi to Gaea the first time. I think all you have to do is wish along with her to see each other. But there can not be any doubt in yours or her heart. "No! I know that there isn't any because I love her and I can feel her feelings reaching out to me! She's waiting for me, Dryden and I have got to go get her!" "Since when did our solemn prince become such a hopeless romantic?" says Dryden with a grin. "*sheesh* What is with everyone and that question! First Merlu, then Allen, and now you..." complains Van. "Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone just this once," says Dryden as he winks. "Go back to the castle and give it a try and if it doesn't work, come back again tomorrow and we'll figure this thing out." "Arigatou very much, Dryden. I will bring Hitomi to thank you tommorrow too!" says Van very assuredly. Van hurries back to the castle and as he runs the path home, he looks to the sky. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a beautiful dragon ring holding a stunning jewl in it. "Hitomi, wait for me! I promise I won't be much longer!"  
**************************  
"Mother!" I say as I open the attic hatch. I can't see her on the roof. "Mom answer me!" I yell becoming more scared every second that passes. "MOTHER!!!" I start to cry agian. There's is only one place to look left and I don't want to look there. I slowly take step by step the path to the edge of the roof. I peer down and see what I had been fearing all day. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" I fall to my knees. I hide my head in my hands; my vision is blurred by the waterfall that had errupted from my eyes. There on the ground, lying cold and breathless was my mother steeped in her own blood. I knew she didn't have a good life but I never thought that she was suicidal. I slowly manage to pull myself up off the roof and I then force myself to go outside. I walk over to where my mother lies. "Oh...oh...," I say softly as I begin to let the rivers flow again from my eyes. I reach down and touch her. Her skin is still warm and then I dip a finger in the blood puddle next to her. "It's so red...," I whisper to myself. The blood is also warm. It just happened. "Momma!" I cry out as I hold her in my arms on last time. My good white school jacket is now scarlet stained but I could care less. I had finally begun to understand and make progress with my relationship with my mother and now it was all gone. My thoughts are abruptly interrupted by a small *tink* sound. I look up and there is a boy about my age standing in front of me. He falls to his knees. "Please tell me who this is Hitomi and why you are holding her so close?" he quietly says to me. I look at the boy and try to understand but I just don't get it. "Hitomi?" I say inquistively. I look at my mom. "This...this...she was Hitomi..." I say plunging my head on top of her chest with tears trickling down my face. The boy gasps. "You can't speak the truth! Hitomi isn't this old! She's sixteen! Just like me!" he says becoming angry with disbelief. "She was thirty-one," I look at him. He looks as if someone has dropped his heart on the floor and it's shattered into a million pieces. "Then she must not be my Hitomi," he says quietly. "But you- you look like my Hitomi...except your nose is a little cuter and your face shape is a little more round...but your eyes are the same as hers..." he says while on his hands and knees inspecting my every feature. He then looks back at my mother. "You two look very similar..." "That's because this is my mother, Hitomi Kanzaki-Akane. I am Shiryoku Kanzaki-Akane."  
The boy lets out a short gasp. "Then...but...prove it...I still don't believe this is my Hitomi; she's too old to be Hitomi," he says trying to reassure himself. I don't know why my mother is so important to him. "Why do I need to prove this to you? Who ARE you anyway," I ask as I begin to cry again becoming more frustrated at trying to understand and cope with what is going on right now. He steps out of the shadows and I see his face. A sad,solemn face with eyes that seem to be holding back tears says, "my name is Van Fanel, the prince of the grand Kingdom of Fanelia." I gasp and drop my mother from my arms. I then realize just how covered in blood I am. "She was telling the truth...or am I going crazy myself?" I whisper to myself with my hands covering my mouth. I very weakly stand up. "Excuse me, but I need to go call the police and ummm...change..." I say as I glance down at my blouse and hands covered in scarlet. "I will come back with the proof that you need that she is your Hitomi Kanzaki," I tell him with my hair hanging in front of my face. I give the boy a short bow and turn towards the house. I see something red glimmering in the light. At first I thought it was a drop of my mother's blood, but as I bent down to pick it up I saw that it was a stone dragon ring with a jewl that I had never seen before. In fact, I had never seen the stone that the dragon was made out of either. I then remembered that right before Van walked up I heard a *tink* sound. I turn back around with an open palmed hand. In the center of my hand sits the ring and Van looks up from my mother. "I think you dropped this Van-sama," I say with my head still tilted down. He stands up and takes the ring out of my hand. He puts it in his pocket and takes my wrist just as I begin to walk off. "You don't need to call me Van-sama; it's just Van," he says comfortingly. "Hai...," I say very meekly.   
I walk back in the house and run up to my room. I quickly throw on a set of afternoon clothes, wash up, and run back downstairs. I grab the phone and call the police. They tell me that they will be here soon but I hear doubt and disbelief in their voice. They think that I am just as crazy as my mother. I hang the phone up and turn around to face the kitchen table. The cards are still strown all over the room from where I had raced out earlier. I grab them and shove them into a deck. I walk outside into the crisp night air. I clutch them very close to my chest since they are one of the precious few things my mother entrusted to me. Van looks up from where he is sitting. "These were my mother's...you should recogonize them; that's all I have though...," I say. He takes the cards from my hands. He looks at me with his eyes pleading with me to tell him that I am lying. "Your eyes tell me that you speak the truth and so do these cards...as much as I don't want to believe...," his voice trails off as he sheds a few tears and sets the cards beside him. I bite my lip as I glance up at him and back down to the ground agian. I fall to my knees in front of the prince. "Ummm...You see...I mean...," I stutter these words. Van looks up at me with a tear streaked face. I take his hands and clasp them inside mine. "It was just me and my mom in the house and I will be all alone now...and I have the money to take care of us both because my father still gives us half of his check...and I am a really good cook and I know my mom wouldn't mind it as long as we stayed in seperate rooms..." I say with a slight smile. "Say no more...I'll stay; I don't have a place to stay until the column of light takes me back." We both sit and stare at each other for a moment. "There's probaly a lot you should know," I say quietly gazing off into space. Van looks off to the side as I let go of his hands. "The question is: do i want to know?"   
Suddenly our conversation is interrupted by a police car driving up in the drive way. A couple of police officers get out and begin interrigating us on Hitomi's death.   
I think I will be ok as long as I have Van around. I don't know why but he provides some kind of comfort for me. I feel like he is a friend that I lost a long time ago, in a far away land. I'm so glad he's going to stay with me.~ 


	2. Vision 1:Explanations for Van

Disclaimer: I am in no way the creator or owner of The Vision of Escaflowne. However, the characters of Shiryoku and Shiro are my own creations. If you would like to use them, e-mail me and ask before you do please.  
  
Correction: In the prolouge, I wrote that Van had "...translucent green eyes..." THIS IS WRONG. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT VAN HAS BROWN EYES. I AM SO VERY SORRY. (AND HE'S MY FAVORITE CHARACTER!!!) Ah well, I wrote the prolouge very late at night so I blame the absent mindedness on sleep deprivation.  
  
Note: This is supposed to be a second season for "The Vision of Escaflowne" describing what happens after the first season ends. I try my best to write the story as if the reader were watching it.  
  
Now knowing all this...Let's get down to business!  
  
~Escaflowne Returns: Shiryoku's Visions~  
~Vision 1: Explanations for Van~  
  
"Was it all a dream, another vision, or was it for real? Did my mother really jump off the roof of the house, commiting suicide? Did the infamous Prince Van, the king of Fanelia, really show up in my front yard looking for my mother...or I am just as crazy as the neighbors said my mother was? NO, I AM FOR SURE THIS IS FOR REAL!"  
It has been a week since the passing of my mother but I remember the events of that night so clearly. Van had hid himself in the shadows while the police interragated me on the death of my mother. They were quite curt to me; they acted as if I had already gained a certificate that proclaimed I was insane and that I was a danger to the common people. After the police had decided it was truly a suicide caused by a "mental lapse" in my mother's mind, they arranged for an ambulance to carry her limp, lifeless body to the morgue.   
Van stepped out of the shadows while the vehicles drove away into the navy velvet night. I stood by the pool of scarlet that marked where my mother's body had been. I simply stood there while the wind blew gently against my hair and face. I heard Van's soft footsteps rustle the grass until I saw his shadow behind me. Then he stopped walking.   
He spoke. "How could you let them treat you like that? How could they say those things about Hitomi? Couldn't you have said something; you should have taken up for yourself!" Van changed his message from searching for answers to anger to frustration. I noticed in the shadow that I saw in front of me that his fist were clenched now, head hanging downward toward the blood puddle.  
I folded my arms quietly and switched the weight from one leg to the other. "Van, this is Earth. People are a little different here from Fanelia from what oka-san told me...and yea, the way they treated mother and I, it did bother me when I was young...but you learn to block it out and ignore it," I say trying to comfort him knowing I was lying. It did bother me though. I had always felt out of place, sticking out like a sore thumb. Sometimes, when people say things so harshly, one just can't block it out... although I did try. I tried because I wanted to be strong for my mother. She had been so strong for me while my stupid father was out cheating on her, coming home drunk, and then abusing her in more ways then one. Still through all this loved me. Now, knowing that she really did go to Gaea and fall in love with prince, knowing that she could've had such a better life there had she been able to stay...  
I clenched my hands even tighter around my triceps. I lowered my head so my long bangs would cover my face. I didn't want Van to see me cry.  
She had given me everything...she had cared for me, protected me, and most of all, loved me...and I...I...doubted her...blamed her...and had even hated her when I was younger...I must have been an awful child! And now... no way to apologize...no time to make up for all that was lost...no chance to ever tell her how proud I had become of her.   
"Why did you come here, Van Fanel...this is a wretched place to be...I'm sure it's nothing like the beautiful Fanelia, Asturia, and Fried my mother desciribed to me..." I say choking back tears.  
Van finally walked up to where I could see his profile out of my poriffieal vision. He sighed and stayed quiet for a couple of seconds as if he were thinking of what to say. Finally, he looks at me and says, "I had to see her...the pendant...no the will of wishes, the column of light brought us together...but..." I cut him off mid sentence. I could see that it was hurting him to talk about it.  
"I suppose you are searching for answers to questions that you couldn't possibly answer..." I say turning towards him and sniffling. "She didn't betray you, if that's what you are thinking..." I say with great conviction.  
Van stood there in amazement. I could see he didn't expect me to be able to read his emotions and thoughts that well.   
I wipe my face clean of the salt water tears that had dripped down it and look up to the chirstmas light dotted night sky. "It seems so silly to be telling you this...but she told me all about her adventures with you and everyone else in the form of a bedtime story..." I glance over at him. "You were the dashing young prince...headstrong, high and mighty, righteous, and always doing what was best for your people." Van turned a little red in the cheeks. "You were always my favorite character..." I say looking back up at the sky and closing my eyes. "In fact, I used to tell myself that someday, a great guy like you would come and find me...he'd come save me from this hell hole..." I said looking back at Van with a small smile.  
By now, the poor thing was blood red in his face. "Hitomi made me out to be that great, huh?" He looked down at his shirt and grabbed a stunning red pendant. "I geuss this should be returned to you...it was hers that her grandmother had given to her..." Van says quietly as he takes off the pendant and offers it to me. "No, I can't possibly take that...she gave it to you as a gift right before she left...it's yours to keep...forever..." I say pushing his hand closed and back towards his chest.   
"You really do know everything that happended, don't you?" Van says wondering how I could have possibly known that. "Hai, everything that my mother told me...from her point of view at least..." I turn back towards the house and let my arms go limp by my sides. I walk up on the first step of the porch and then plop down. Van follows and then props himself up against the porch post.  
"So where do you want to start..." he says. I can tell that he is really baffled by all of the events taking place around him.  
"Most likely the best place to start would be where you left off...after Hitomi got back from Gaea..."  
"But that was only a year ago..." Van says trying to make sense out of everything.  
"Maybe on Gaea it was...but here, that was seventeen years ago...where is Gaea in relation to the Earth?" I ask very randomly.  
"I don't really know...we don't use science; it's considered an evil, corruptive thing because that's what Dornkirk used to gather his army and use the fate alteration machine," Van says very matter-of-factly.  
"Oh...well, I was just thinking that if Gaea took seventeen Earth years to revolve around the sun, maybe that could be one Gaean year...maybe if it moved around the Earth like Uranus's rings do...vertically like this," I say while picking a flower and moving my pointer finger around it vertically. "That could also explain why Gaeans are able to see both the Earth and the moon in the sky at night," I hypothesieze to myself and Van at the same time.  
Van looks blown away. He then very timidly says, "Uranus?"   
"Yea...Uranus...you know, that planet out there before Neptune..." I say very sarcastically. "Neptune?..." Van says once again looking blown away. "Oh...you haven't ever heard about them I suppose if you weren't allowed to study science..." I say finally realizing that the boy is ignorant to things like this. "Well, what did they teach you in school?"  
Van finally sits down next to me on the step. "Well, they taught me edict, royal diplomatics, swordfighting and war skills and strategy...Fanelian language and math, the history of Fanelia, and how to kill a dragon to ascend the throne."  
I sit there absolutely amazed. The boy had been trained since he was young to be nothing but a king. I wondered if he had even had a childhood. "How do you know our language so well then? You speak it pretty fluently..." I say really randomly trailing off thinking.  
"Hitomi taught me. She also taught me Algebra, Geometry, English, and she offered to teach me some science but I refused," he said with a little bit of a smirk on his face. He then sits down with his arms on top of his knees. He put his head on top of his arms and I can tell that he is thinking about something by the look in his eyes.   
A muffled statement comes from him, but I can understand what he was saying. "Was your dad good to her?" His eyes peek just above his hands.  
"No..."I shake my head and tilt it to the ground. I put my elbow on my knee and place my head in my hand. "He wasn't good to either of us. In fact, he just left us...he didn't even ask for a divorce...he just gives us-well me now- half of his check every month and roams around everywhere."  
"Hey..." Van lifts his head up really quick, "it's gonna rain." He points to the dark, thick, heavy clouds looming over the moon. "We should go inside," he says as he grabs my hand and quickly drags me inside.  
Sure enough, not long after a torenting rain begins to pour down. I watch the window as I watch the scarlet stain fade away into the green grass. Van sits at the table.  
I look at him and notice for the fist time his clothes. He had on a red silk shirt with a pair of tan pants made for holding a sword sheath and various other things. Then, he had on a pair of brown gloves. "He's gonna look really out of place when he gets to school..." I think to myself.  
"What kinda of clothes do you like?" I say being the first to break the awkward sileince. "Huh?" he replies. I walk over to the table and take the seat opposite of him. I put both elbows on the table and fold my hands in one another making a little table for my chin to rest on. "You have to go to school and you need a uniform to attend, so I already need to get you a school uniform...but that's the only outfit you have right? I mean you can't just go around wearing that one all the time; it'll get to stinking." I say in a tone of voice that makes it more than a fact. Van looks down at his clothes.  
"You're right..." he says as he looks back up at me. "I like things similar to this...I don't like clothes very much..." he says kinda arrogantly. "Cool...I'll call Yukari-san and Amano-san and tell them what has happended and they'll take care of the funeral arrangements...that way we can go shopping tomorrow," I say as I reach behind me to get the phone off the kitchen counter.   
"Amano?!?" Van yells very surprised. "Hai...Amano..." I say not knowing why he was so surprised. "The man Hitomi was trying to get back to..."he drifts off in mid-sentence. "Oh...so she talked about him to you...then you mustn't know that she realized that her best friend, Yukari, loved Amano but stepped out of the way and helped Hitomi when she realized that Amano liked her. But oka-san was gone for so long that Yukari and Amano became close. They recently got married and had a little one...happy little ending for those two, isn't it?" I ask him as he is still looking stunned. "I am going to go call them now...you can help yourself to anything in the fridge or in the cabinets...afterall, my house is your house now..." I say as I leave the room with the portable phone.   
I hear a couple of rings and I hear Yukari-san pick up. "Konnichiwa," she says very groggily. "Yukari-san...Gomen-ne, but it's urgent..." I say quietly. "Shiryoku! Are you all right?" she asks very concerned. "No, I'm fine thanks; it is oka-san though...she ano...ano...ano..." I begin searching for the words...  
*****************************************  
Van walks around in the kitchen for a couple of seconds before finally digging into the fridge. "I am famished...I haven't had anything to eat since Merlu cooked me breakfast this morning...Gaean morning...or however it works out..." he says outloud to himself while shoving things around in the fridge. "Some of this stuff I've never even layed eyes on before...AH HA! A sandwhich!" he says triumphantly. Van takes the sandwhich out of the fridge and grabs a plate out of the cabinet. He wanders into the living room and begins looking at all the pictures that adorn the walls and various surfaces.   
Van comes across one picture of Hitomi, Shiryoku, Keiichi, Amano, and Yukari. "They all look so happy except for Shiryoku..." he says as he takes a huge side bite out of the sandwhich. He sits down and stares at the picture some more. "That man...he looks a lot like Allen...and that girl...she looks a lot like Shiryoku..."   
Van's thoughts are interrupted. "I am afraid that it would be the other way around...I look like Yukari," I say announcing that I was back. "Oh," Van says as he looks really startled, " ummm...I got the sandwhich...I hope you don't mind." "No worries," I reply. I take a seat next to him.  
"The man standing next to Hitomi-that's my father...Keichii Akane...then Hitomi...me...Amano...and Yukari...Yukari and Amano are my godparents so that if anything ever happened to my mom...someone would be there to take care of me...that's why I am going to let Yukari do the funeral arrangements...she said she would...she also doesn't know about you yet...we have to figure you out something to tell everyone..." I say just spouting out information to Van.  
"What does that mean?" he says really rudely still munching on the sandwhich. "It means you can't just go around telling people that you're from Gaea!...you'll have to play like you're from Earth...OH I KNOW! You are our foriegn exchange student from Fanelia-the prince to be exact- and it's a country even smaller than Monaco and that's why no one's ever heard of it! Perfect! Sometimes I amaze myself..." I say very satisfied.  
"Uh huh..." grunts Van polishing off the crusts of the sandwhich.  
"What time is it?" I ask. "Nightime..." Van says really sarcastically. "Hardy-hardy-har-har, Van," I quip back just as sarcastic. "No, really, what time is it?" "How should I know," he says," I don't know Earthly time," and whith that he gets up and takes his plate back to the kitchen. "Well, I'm really tired," I call to him in the kitchen, "so I need to show you your room, but you're welcome to stay up and do whatever..." He walks back into the room and props himself up against the wall. "Nah, that's ok...I'm pretty tired myself...so lead the way."  
I take him down the hall and then stop and think about what I was about to do. "There are three bedrooms in this house: mine, Hitomi's, and the guest bedroom which has stuff in it...do you think you could manage staying in Hitomi's room?" I say as I turn around to look at him. "Yea, I'll be fine..." he says. He steps in front of me acting as if this wasn't going to be a challenge for him at all.  
I push the door open and flick the light on to see that the feathers and the blue writting is still strown all over the place. "Ano...as you can see, she was waiting-no more like expecting you...that's why the feathers are all over the place...they reminded her of you...," I say folding my hands behind my back. He turns around to look at me and he blushes. "She told you about that too, huh?" he says raising an eyebrow not knowing what I might say next.  
Van steps over the threshold of the room and approaches a wall with the blue writting on it. He puts his pointer finger up to it and starts tracing over the markings one by one. He begins mumbling something to himself. Finally, he speaks. "It's the same thing over and over...'one angel falls to the green Earth below, the other takes to the skies forever flying high,'...it's Fanelian," he says solemnly.   
I gasp. "Are you sure that is what this says?!? That can't be right!" I yell as I run out of the room and grab the tarot deck from in the living room. I race back down the hall and flip the deck over and start shuffling through the cards. "Look at this...La Torre, La Fool, La Serpent...then she wrote that all over the walls...I had a vison...I watched her tell that quote to you..." I begin to fear what I am concluding. "What does all this mean?" Van ask innocently. "Everything is pointing to you, Van...The tower is trouble, the fool means lies, the serpent stands for the dragon...one angel falls to the green Earth- Hitomi died, she goes back in the Earth...you have angel wings and as long as you're alive you can fly..." I begin to get really flustered. "Whoa...whoa...calm down...," he says bending down to the floor where I have set the cards,"are you saying that you think my coming here caused your mother to kill herself?"   
I back away from him. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have said anything..." I push my head down to the side with teardrops flying as I realize how uncomfortable I have made the poor guy feel now. "I can sense that you are telling the truth but the cards and that quote...they are also trying to tell me something..." He takes my chin in his hand and directs my glance toward him.   
"I want you to remeber this: I loved your mother...every single bit of her...even what made her unique; her ability to have visions and premonitions...you don't have to apologize for instincts..." he says very confidently.  
I blush. I smile. Tears welp up in my eyes. I couldn't help but cry. No one has ever just fully accepted me as I am but here is this person I've known for only a few hours telling me that it's ok for me to be just me. "Hey! c'mon now, don't cry..." he pleads bending underneath all my hair to see my face.  
"No...you don't understand...it's tears of joy...now I know why oka-san loved you so much...arigatou Van-sama. Goodnight for now," I say as I dash out of the room , slam my door shut, and jump on my bed. As soon as I hit the bed, I begin to fall asleep. But before I do, I remeber oka-san telling me that people's feelings reached each other...no matter how far apart. "Oka-san...is this your way of taking care of me? I'd like to think so..." I say as I finally dift off into the realm of dreams.  
*******************************************  
(In Van's room) "She's more like her mother than she realizes...just running out like that for no apparent reason..." I say to myself with a slight smile. I begin to look around the room. Once again, there are many pictures hanging and sitting all around. They are mostly of the same people too. I begin to examine the still-lifes. "Still...Hitomi looks so happy but Shiryoku looks so sad...Shiryoku doesn't look like her father at all either..." I say picking up the picture on the night stand beside me. "What was I thinking Hitomi?...Trying to take you back to Gaea...I should have known better...Escaflowne would have tried to revive itself and that could have sparked something...I geuss we were both just feeling a little alone and under accepted..." I lay down on her bed while holding up the picture in front of my face. "...I geuss that is just what everyone wants out of life...to be accepted and loved by someone...to feel a place and a purpose...you found it with Shiryoku, didn't you?...I understand," I finish my little solioquy as sleep deprivation takes over my body.  
******************************************  
  
Author's note: I switched with point of views this time from Shiryoku to Van...I'm not sure if i like it...reveiw and let me know what you think! PLEASE! 


	3. Vision 2: It's Karoake Time

A/n: I like switching between Van and Shiryoku's points of view. So anytime you see ****, it means time has passed or switching points of view.  
  
Many thanks to: www.animelyrics.com for proving Japanese lyrics on all songs and the English translation for "Inori" by Ma'aya Sakamoto. As for the other English translations, they came from owning/borrowing the tapes. Buy the dubbed/subbed versions to look at credits and stuff. (if you want a formal dislcaimer)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, Ayumi Hamasaki, Ma'aya Sakamoto or anything else or any of the songs I used. They are all the property of their respective owners. (But they sure are great songs!)   
  
  
~Vision 2: Do We Know Him?~  
"Hey sleepyhead!" I yell as I bust his door open. "You can't sleep any longer! Yuakri-san and Amano-san will be eating lunch here in two hours! You need a shower! And I need to wash those clothes!" I say very frantically. Van jerks up from his slumber. His hair looks like a hurricane could have hit it. "Merlu...I swear...I'm awake...," he says while he rubs his eyes and looks like he's gonna lay back down. "Oh no you don't! AND I AM NOT MERLU!" I walk over to the bed and grab his arms. I pull the boy out of bed and onto his feet. He finally opens his eyes. I very sternly say, " you have two hours for a shower and whatever...I need to wash your clothes...I'll get you towels and a clothes hangar so that you can leave your clothes on a hangar on the bathroom door. That way, while you shower I can wash your clothes. Ne?" I can tell he is still trying to wake up. "Good, glad you agree," I say as I drag him down the hall to the bathroom. "I'll be back with your towels and hangar." I return and he is sleeping standing up! "You are impossible, you know that?" I say with a gentle smile and shove the towels and hangars into his hands. He is startled back awake and pushes the door to the bathroom open. "Sugoi..." I hear him say, "so much more than what I am used to using..." "I've got to go check on lunch! Knock on the bathroom door three times for me to let me know when you've hung your clothes!" I call to him as I head back into the kitchen. I let out a long sigh. "So much stuff...," I say to myself while washing the good dishes.  
*********************************  
I stand in the bathroom and look at all the stuff. "Hitomi told me about electricity...and stuff like this...it looks similar to the stuff we use..." I say folding my arms not really knowing what to think. "Ah, well..." I say as I pull my boots off. "I probaly should start my water..." I turn the hot (or I am assuming hot because it had an H on it) and then just a little of the cold. (same deal; a big C on the knob.) On the faucet, there was a knob that said pull for hot water...and so I did...  
*********************************  
"VAN!!! I NEED YOUR CLOTHES NOW!!!" I yell from the kitchen while washing my hands from fixing the rice ball. Suddenly, I hear clunk, clunk, clunk. I walk down the hall drying my hands with a kitchen towel, and sure enough there they are hanging all nice and neat on the hangar. "Would you look at that, they even taught him how to fold clothes correctly!" I say with great pride. I grab the clothes and quickly put them in the washer so they will be ready when he gets out.  
********************************  
"It's 11:30...they'll be here in an hour," I say to myself while hanging Van's newly washed and ironed clothes back on the hangar. I look out the window and notice how sunny and pretty the day looks outside. "For us to have had a huge storm last night, it sure did clear up quick," I say upon noticing the day.   
I grab the hangar of clothes and head down the hall. As I am walking down there, I can hear a faint voice singing. "Oh no way..." I say to myself with a huge grin. I had started to knock on the door, but stopped myself hoping he would sing just a little more louder...I planned on using this to my advantage for oka-san had described Van also as the silent, strong type.   
If he knew that I had heard him singing, he would probaly die!   
It was an enchanting little melody. He wasn't that shabby of a singer either. In fact, he had a beautiful voice. I wonder if he wrote it.   
  
Yake-sou na /Your Mystic Eyes  
Kimi no Mystic Eyes.... /Are settin' me on fire  
mujaki na egao de breaking down /Your innocent smile breakin' me down   
kimi dake ni hitomi no oku aizu... /You're the only one with that look in your eye...(*1)  
  
I'll have to remeber that for later...hehehe...Knock.Knock.Knock. I leave the hangar on the doorknob just like I said for him too and quickly skip back down the hall. He really does have a beautiful voice though...  
********************************  
It's now 12:15 p.m. "They'll be here soon," I say as I stare at the table trying to make sure that I haven't over looked anything. I see Van walking down the hall drying his hair with the towel.   
"Sugoi..." Van says while shoving the towel into my hands. He approaches the table and looks it up and down. "You fixed all of this yourself?" he says with a raised eyebrow. "Hai...I didn't know what you would eat, so I just fixed a little bit of everything..." I say going to take the towel to the washroom. "Sugoi..." Van says again while scratching his head. I come back in the dining room from putting his towel in the wash. "Your hair looks good combed down," I tell him. "This isn't combed...just wet," he says very arrogantly. "Well, I think it looks nice...maybe you could put some gel in it to keep it down!" I say as I run go get my hair gel from the bathroom. "I hope you aren't serious," he calls back in the bathroom to me. I reappear with the gel bottle in hand. "Oh no! I am NOT putting that girl hair junk in MY hair!" he says as he folds his arms and shuts his eyes. "Oh c'mon. Just a little won't hurt you," I plead with him. "I can guarntee that it will look much better in your hair," he says cooly. I put some of the clear gel on the tips of my fingers. "Shiryoku-NO!" he says as he pushes my hand away. I let out a little aggrivated "hmph." "Fine!" I say as I put what little I had in my hands on the tip ends of my hair. "You know they are gonna recognize you; how could they not?" I say with dagger like eyes. Van just looks at me. Suddenly there is a knock at the door.  
"C'mon!" I say as I grab Van's wrist and drag him to the front door. Before I open it, I look at him and say, "you just got here this morning, hai?" I say very sternly. "Sure...whatever..." he says kinda coldly. "What? What's wrong?" I ask curiously. I look away from him and at my hand on the door. "I know you are afraid of me because I know how your emotional system works, but you don't have to completely shut down..." I say with a slight smirk. He lets out a small gasp with a pair of surprised eyes. "And I know you're not used to being bossed around too, but you're gonna have to work with me, ok?" I say with a smile. "Uhh...yea..." Van mouths still stunned.  
I fling the door open and there stands Amano-san and Yukari-san holding their darling little girl. They look a little surprised to see Van. They both look at each other and then look back at Van. "Hey darling," Yukari says as she hands the baby to Amano and reaches over to give me a huge hug. Amano looks at Van and introduces himself and the baby to Van. Van is still stunned (at seeing Hitomi's old crush) and finally manages to stutter out "Van Fanel". Yukari pushes me back at this and looks at Amano who blinks back at Yukari. Van then chimes in, "it's a kingdom smaller than Monaco." "Oh," they both say just letting their suspicion slip.   
~Meanwhile in the outskirts of Fanelia~  
Dryden walks along the Fanelian flea market. He was searching for a new, interesting coffee table piece. He was hoping to find a statue or a nice globe but he found something much more intriguing.   
Dryden walked over to an old book stand. The dealer was one of his favorites and often had unique books. Dryden's merchant eye spotted one book in particular. It was leather bound and worn. He picked it up and flipped through it. As he flipped through it, he gasped at what he saw. "Issac," he whispered. "Dealer!" He called. "How much?" The haggling for the book began.   
Dryden didn't get his coffee table piece that he'd been hoping to find, but he had found something much more interesting. He had just bought Issac Newton's journal.  
~Back at Shiryoku and Van's Place~  
"Oh, well, I didn't get the average schooling like all other Fanelian children. They taught me the things I needed to know to be a good king for my people," Van says strategically shoving a bunch of food in his mouth at once so he wouldn't have to answer another one of Yukari's questions. "Poor Van," I thought to myself, "Yukari is just trying to get him to slip and say he's from Gaea and he's that boy who killed the dragon."  
I tried to help out by changing the subject. "So, does everyone like their food this afternoon?" I say with a smile. I get an enthusiastic "yea" from everyone at the table. Before I have a chance to thank everyone for the compliment, Amano starts the drilling of Van again. I was sitting there rolling my eyes and slapping my forehead in my mind.   
"So Van," he says, "what's a Fanelian's favorite food?" Van sits there, blinks, and puts down the big bite of food he was about to take. He then very calmly says, "a sandwhich."   
"Wow, I didn't know that royalty would eat sandwhiches!" exclaims Yukari. "What kind of entertainment do you guys have?" she says continuing the twenty question game. "Well, we mostly sing old folk songs that have been handed down for genorations," Van replies finally getting to shove the big bite of food in his mouth. "I was gonna take Van to the karoake bar tonight!" I exclaim. Yukari then stands up. "Oh! You should hear Shiryo sing! She sings like an angel," she says getting all starry eyed. I blush and look at the napkin in my lap underneath my hands. Van quickly turns and looks at me. "I'm really just an amateur..." "Nonsense," Amano breaks my sentence. "C'mon, sing that one I love!" yells Yukari. "But I don't have the people for that one," I argue not wanting to show off. "Oh who cares, the routine is great by itself!" yells Yukari in the living room setting up the machine.   
*****************  
I follow everyone into the den to see what in the heck this karoake stuff is. I see Shiryoku coming back downstairs in a significantly tighter outfit. I look at her and she blushes. "I don't normally dress like this; these are dance clothes," she offers to me as an explanation. Yukari is standing with a wireless mike in hand and says, "this is Shiryoku with her rendition of Ayumi Hamasaki's The Starry Sky!"   
I watch as Shiryoku puts on an ear mike and a tape of one of her earlier performances rolls on the tv. It's got the dancers Yukari was talking about and Shiryoku is in the same outfit.   
Shiryoku stands with her head down and begins to sing while gracefully moving her arms in different directions. The Shiryoku on the tape is doing the same. They are both in perfect time with each other.  
"Uhhhh...kono yo matta, haka nai hoshi sora  
"Uhhhh...hikaru hoshi ni, ne gai wa uka konni..."  
("Uhhh...tonight there is another transparent starry sky  
uhhh...will my wish be granted by the glowing star above?)  
As the tempo picks up and the music gets heavier, Shiryoku's head pops up and her moves become more sharp. "I've never seen anyone dance like that before or sing as well as she does either!" I think to myself. I find myself blushing at the girl in front of me. She doesn't look a thing at all like the girl I met when I walked up in the yard that night.   
(Flashback)  
I remember walking up and seeing her sitting there. Her eyes were so sad. I couldn't believe that this was the same girl that had just left me a year ago. But it wasn't the same girl...  
I remember opening my mouth for words to come out but nothing but silence was there. I wanted her to be like the same girl that left me. I wanted to see her happy. That's the only way I live the life I do...I have to make other people around me happy or else I don't feel a purpose. Hitomi made me happy because she was happy by herself. Shiryoku...she's different...her eyes are always so sad...  
(Back to present time)  
I focus my vision back on the dancing girl in front of me. She's still in perfect time with the girl on the television screen. I notice something though-she's smiling. I watch her more closely. Her eyes almost seem twinkling when she is singing. I glance at the tape. There's a close up of her face right when I look. The same happy smile and starry eyes are there. This girl is meant to sing.  
*********************  
Out of breath, I take a short bow and look around the room. As usual, Yukari-san is amazed, hands clapsed with starry eyes ranting and raving about how great I sing; Amano-san is holding the baby he went and got before the song saying, "look at your god-sister; she'll be an idol one day!" and Van is sitting back cooly with a look of utter amazement on his face. He then sits foward and says, "by far, you have the most melodic voice I have ever heard..."  
"Arigatou," I say quickly interrupting him. "But if you don't mind, I want to change. I can't stand clothes like these," I say racing up the stairs to change.  
***************  
Yukari-san and Amano-san left around 3 p.m. and Van and I decided to go to the mall. Afterall, Van did need clothes for the coming school week.  
When we got to the mall, I asked him what kind of clothes he liked. Van didn't seem to get the concept too well.  
"Oh, c'mon y'know...expensive,cheap,lots of color, plain, and all sorts of things. Ah well, we'll just start with the school uniform, ok?"  
I briskly walk over to the store and pull Van in with me. I had noticed someone had been following us.  
Pretty soon a tailor grabs out his measuring tape and begins to pick Van out the uniform he needs. The man looks at him for a second, then asks him, "where are you from; I've never heard an accent like yours before."   
Van looks at me. I smirk and shake my head. Van then just gives a slight smile and sticks his arms behind his head. "I'm from a place smaller than Monaco.; doubt you would have even heard of it."   
I let out a little snicker and watched as the tailor continued to measure Van for his uniform. The tailor finally walks off and Van looks at me. "All I can say is I told you so..." I say in a sing-song voice. "You guys sure are nosey..." Van says sitting next to me. "Ah, you'll get over it," I say with a slight sigh.   
The tailor returns with our school uniform in a variety of different colors. There's a black, navy, and brown outfit. Van tries on all three and we decide on buying three black ones and two navy ones.  
The rest of the time we spend walking around and visisting different stores trying to find what kind of "style" Van had. I still felt like someone was watching us.  
Van liked one store in particular; it was real plain. The store consisted of mostly shirts in various solid colors and blue jeans that weren't really ornate.   
The fall can sometimes be really cold and I was thinking about that when I handed him a sweater. I hung it over the dressing room door. "Here, try that on."  
The red sweater is pulled off the side of the door and I hear a, "there's no way I am wearing that!"   
"Why not? It's just a sweater..." I say curiously.  
"No,it's not. It's a girly sweater," he says very arrogantly.  
"It's a warm sweater and it's red...that's not very girly," I say very matter of factly as I fold my arms.  
"It's got the girly neck and the girly sleeves...it's a sissy sweater and I 'm not trying it on!" I hear him getting irratated.  
Underneath the door,(it doesn't touch all the way to the ground) I can see Van's pant leg sticking out from underneath. I quickly bend and grab them.   
"You no get pants until you try on jeans and sweater , capish?"  
Van peeks his head out of the dressing room. His face is blood red, either from embarassment or sheer anger.   
I smile. "I want to see my sweater on you," I say giggling while holding his pants tightly in my arms.   
He grumbles and shuts the door and returns in a moment. He walks out and the jeans with the red sweater looks absolutely adorable on him.   
"This is the sissiest thing I have ever worn," he continues grumbling to himself.   
"Relax, you look like a guy model," I say with confidience handing his pants back to him.  
"And their all sissies too!" he says as he slams to door to the dressing room shut.  
After the sweater incident, we go to the register to pay for the clothes he's picked out (along with my sweater!) and get going to the karoake club.  
******************  
After we had eaten supper at the karoake club, I started begging Van to get up there and sing something. He argued me down about it; he wasn't going to do it because he didn't know any Japanese songs, only Fanelian ones.  
Someone came by and asked me to sing. "Hey it's the Pop Princess," they said. I accepted.  
**************  
"But a really short one," I hear Shiryoku say. She takes off her heavy jacket she's been wearing and there's a beautiful dress underneath. It's a purple halter and looks like it's been tye-dyed. She has curves and long, straight mahognay hair that graces a beautifully round face. Her eyes are big and by far the most oustanding feature she has. I hate to say it but she's prettier than Hitomi. I slap myself mentally for thinking that.   
She turns to me before she leaves and says, "you're next," with a mischievous grin. While they prepare her karoake set, two guys grab me and let me listen and hum along to my tune they, along with Shiryo, wrote for me. Apparently, Shiryo must've heard me singing in the shower and picked up the tune. So I guess whenever you perform, you get a tape to take with you. (both a cd and a video tape.) I still didn't want to do this but I had made a deal with Shiryo earlier. If she sang, I had to too. *Crap* I thought, "Why do I have to be such a nice guy?" The song ends...I really like it.  
I look back to the stage and Shiryoku is up there with her mike in hand. She looks somewhat nervous but she starts to speak.  
"Hey everyone," she says with a small grin. A huge applause comes from the audience along with some cat calls and yelling of her name and Pop Princess. Shiryoku just giggles. "What are ya'll in the mood for tonight?" she asks the auidience. "Any requests?" she says smiling.   
There it is again. A smile on her pretty face. I stop thinking. I just thought about her being pretty again. This isn't good. Hitomi just died and I'm gawking over her daughter. This isn't good. Is it even moral to like her? My thoughts are interrupted by hearing her first notes.  
"Inori...Michiru umi to tsuki yami to hikari tokete  
Umare kawaru inochi  
Sakeru sora to mune ni itsuka hikari tokete  
Mezame ikiru inochi..."  
(The moon and sea become full  
the light & darkness become reincarnated  
the sky is torn from my heart   
when will the light dissolve, awaken, & live life?)  
The atmosphere has changed dramatically to match her song. It's a pretty, quiet, laid back song and now the club is too. The guys that were letting out cat calls and the girls that were yelling are all staring right at Shiryo as if to burn a hole through her.   
The club is lit in lavendar with a blue spotlight on Shiryoku. She's there on the stage and is hanging on the mike for dear life. I only know this becuase her knuckles are white. I guess it takes a lot for her to get up there and sing. I don't know why; she sings beautifully and everyone here is crazy for her. She continues her song:  
"Chinmoku no machi kabe ni kizamareta tooi kiouku ga  
ima kataru sono hito no kotoba  
togirenagara mimi no naka ni kairi komu  
jumon no you no hikuku hisoyaka no koe de..."  
(Faraway memories cut into the wall of this town's silence   
Now I speak their language  
As I stand still, whispering voices crowd into my ears  
like a descending spell..."  
I am now mezmarized by her voice and song. She's singing from the depths of her heart; I can tell it. After seeing her be treated the way she was by the policemen, after seeing her get upset over a vision, after knowing what all she's been through, this song has her feelings poured all into it.  
"Ikutsu tsuki ga ochite ikudo hi ga terasedo kimi o  
omou ai wa  
kono kabe to inor ga tsutae todokete yuku jidai o  
tobi koete..."  
(How many times will the moon fall?  
How many times will the fire be lit?  
Your love yearns for you  
This wall & prayer go & deliver report,  
As I fly over an ancient sky..."   
She looks at me from the stage. Her eyes seem happy. I want to know why she's happy when she sings. I want her to stay like that. She begins to walk down the platform that leads out into the audience/dining area. People smush up against the sides of it to get close to her. I notice in the background that Yukari-san is here too. She's been following us around all day. I guess she saw me staring at her becuase she walks over and says, " beautiful isn't it?" "Yea..." I thoughtfully answer. She eyes me. "You look a lot like someone I saw from a long time ago..." she begins. "Really? They say everyone has a twin..." I say trying to play it off. "You know...if Shiryoku goes missing and you're missing too, I'll kill you when you come back."  
A surprised look comes across my face as I try to understand. Yukari elaborates. "This guy you look like took Hitomi from us and completely made her insane. Shiryo said that Hitomi killed herself worrying over him coming back...Shiryo is the only thing I have left of her...Hitomi entrusted her to me...I WON'T LET HER DOWN, OR SHIRYO..." she says with great conviction.   
I got so angry but couldn't say anything. She had no tact in saying she'd kill me, but I guess I understand since she explained herself. Afterall, the only person I had on Fanelia that I was extremely close to was Merlu and I'd kill anyone who made her insane...   
"I promise, I'm not going anywhere for a while and I won't take Shiryoku with me...it'd be a shame to keep such a beautiful voice to myself," I say trying to reassure her. In truth, I really did want Shiryo to see Fanelia. She had said earlier in the day she'd love to go to Gaea and that she didn't really enjoy Earth.   
"Shiroku nemuru sabaku no suna dake ga mada  
kirei na yume mingara neiki o tateru  
kabe no moji wa kezure iroasete mo nao  
kiramekimashi dare ka o motomete utau..."  
(Only deserts of white sand are still sleeping  
As I dream beautiful dreams my breathing is built  
A wall of characters is cut down & and the colors fade away  
Glittering and asking who sings....)  
Yukari is still staring me down. I guess she was hoping to bore a hole in my head so she could see if I was lying or something but eventually, she relented. "I don't exactly know who you are...but I'll trust you for now...but if you show any signs of being that boy that killed the dragon..."  
"Who knows where he comes from?  
Who knows where he comes from?"  
"I get it," I say. "Let's just listen for now, huh?" She looks at me very sternly. I realize that I have gone back to being an anal retentive guy (which is how I was when I first me Hitomi) and I gulp.   
"kak to mirai ikiki suru tori nokage o mitsuketa ki ga shita..."  
(The past & the future keep in touch with each other  
I imagine I see the birds' shadows..."  
"Just know I'll be watching you..." Yukari says as she walks off. I watch her leave. Her strut is a defiant one; one that says I will definately have to be careful around her. I can tell she doesn't forget stuff easily and that she's a true friend. She will hold her promise to Hitomi.  
"Ikutsu hosi ga kiete ikudo mizu karete mo kimi o omou ai wa  
ikutsu kaze ga fuite ikudo yume sutete mo kimi o   
omou ai wa..."  
(How many stars will disappear?  
How often will the rain wither away?  
Your love yearns for you  
How many times will the wind blow?  
How often will I abandon my dreams?  
Your love yearns for you..."  
I once again go back to being mezmarized by her singing ability. She gazes around the auidience as she sings but then focuses on me for a second. It's almost like she saw Yukari and was being sympathetic. She gives a slight smile while singing and finishes her song.   
"And now, I'd like for everyone to give a warm round of applause to a newcomer; I enjoy his singing a lot and I know you guys will too," she says grinning. "Oh no..." I think. I was hoping she'd let it go.  
*************  
I pull Van up on the stage. It's rather funny. His face is blood red but he's trying so hard to play it off. I continue with my introduction. "This is Van's own song," I say looking at him. "It's called..."   
He rolls his eyes and says very dryly, "Mystic Eyes." "Yeah, ok so Mystic Eyes by Van Fanel!" Everyone in the club gets excited as I hand him the mike and I jump offstage into the crowd.  
"Muhahhaahaahaaa..." I giggle to myself. "This should be fun."  
The lights dim and a silver disco ball lowers. Van steps with a wireless mike in hand. He's still got on the outfit he arrived in; the red silk shirt with the tan pants and those really weird looking gloves. It fits the song well, though.  
He stands center stage and then puts his right hand on his left shoulder and his left hand on his right hip.  
The band gives him a fabulous introduction in which he's still standing there, but then all the sudden they flash a red light on his glove. The beat after it he thrusts out the hand holding the microphone horiziontally and starts dancing like he's from the disco age or something.   
"Blue searchlights, meet beyond the moon,  
Yeah, my angel who came flying down Who are you?"  
Now the doors of destiny are opening before us,  
So, just, fall in love...  
I can't break free of this moment that's making my heart flutter...  
Don't stop baby!  
"Oh man, he's good," I whisper to myself as I watch him work the crowd. His voice is just so melodic but at the same time it has a crispness to it too. He seems to be looking at me a lot, as if to say, "you're gonna get it later," but ah, well that's just Van.   
I look at the crowd around me. All the girls are going crazy over him. They act like he's somebody famous already. One girl even tries to get up on stage with him. *gasp* He pulls her up on stage and starts singing to her!  
Your MYSTIC EYES are settin' me on fire  
Your innocent smile breakin' me down  
It's only for you, this look in my eye (*1)  
An endless, journey is beginning With this unstoppable pounding in my heart  
And I wanna, swoop down, and take you with me!  
"Hmph," I think to myself. I fold my arms and watch as all the girls continue to go crazy as if he were an idol. "He's not that cute..."I think to myself knowing good and well I was lying. He looked good in anything he tried on earlier today, has the cutest smile, and the most gorgeous eyes a guy could have. "Oh my gaaa...Am I jealous?"  
"Ooh, oh baby...it's so easy to love you!"  
He points at me and winks as if to apologize. I eye him with a glare but really I feel better now. "Maybe he's just doing all this for show...I mean...oka-san was his one and only and it'd better stay that way..." I think with an uneasy feeling in my heart.  
There's a guitar solo and he works the crowd even more. Everyone, including myself, is on their feet dancing to the tune. He's an overnight sucess, as they say.  
Van does some incredibly weird dance moves, things I've never seen before, but the auidience reacted pretty well to it. Although, they looked like idiots trying to copy him becuase they didn't execute it near as well as he did.   
There's a couple of more verses and then the song begins to end. He ends it the same way he began; pushing that cordless mike out on that last beat with his head down. Funny, quirky little song and dance, but it's good for a first time.  
*************(at their house)  
"Did you enjoy the karoake bar?" I ask. "Yea," Van says very non chalantly. I look at the clock. It's 11:27 p.m. "Van, it's late, so I'm going to bed," I say very quitely. "Same," he replies. "He's acting weird," I think to myself. "Well, good nite..." I say looking back from about halfway up the stairs. "Nite, Shiryo," he says rubbing his hair and heading back to oka-san's room.  
*************(outskirts of Fanelia)  
Dryden sits in his living room scanning over the pages of the newly bought book. He can't believe what he's picked up. He wonders how the story of Allen's father's explorations will differ from that of Issac's. He opens the first page and begins to read..."This explains how Zaibach came to be..." he mumbles to himself not knowing what he was about to stumble in upon...  
*************(outside Shiryoku's room)  
I stand in the doorway frozen in fear. It's ungentlemanly to go into a girl's room but I can hear that she's having a nightmare. It must be pretty bad. She's sounds like she's crying and wrestling with the covers for her life. "I can't go in there but it's awful that she's suffering so," I say musing. All of the sudden, I hear a scream.  
*************(Shiryoku's room)  
I sit straight up in my bed. I woke up in a cold sweat while letting out a huge scream. I look around and then to the door. I go to open it and I am surprised by Van standing there. He looked as if he was about to do the same. We stand there for a second looking at each other. I think we were both embarassed to see each other in pajamas. Van looks up and asks if I am ok. I tell him yea but then he says, "feh, yeah right; you had something close to a vision didn't you?"   
I'm caught off guard by this statement. It's like he read my mind. Suddenly, there's a loud clap of thunder outside. "Ahhh!" I let out a squeal and cling to the thing nearest to me, which just happens to be Van. He looks at me in surprise and then says, "ouch...your nails hurt...please let go..." I blush and apologize. "You're scared of thunder? Why? It's just a noise," he says being arrogant as usual. "I'm just a little jumpy right now because of the nightmare..." I say replaying the dream in my head. He looks at me as if to offer to listen. "It's making you think isn't it..." he quietly says. I look up at him with tense eyes. "More so scaring me...I felt like there was no way out...I can't go back to sleep right now..." I say looking outside and hearing another clap of thunder. I cringe and pull at my shorts. I look back up at Van and ask if he'd just sit and talk with me for a while in the den. He agrees.  
After I had made us some hot chocolate, I sat on the couch facing him and started asking random questions. "What's your middle name?" started it off. He looked at me. "I'm waiting," I said. "It's de Slanzar," he said taking a sip of the hot chocolate. He made a face at the mug. "This is rather weird tasting..." "SLANZAR?!?!" I cried as I was rolling on the couch laughing. "What was your mother thinking?!?!?" "It's a family name, IT'S ROYAL," he says taking yet another sip and then saying, " I guess you just have to get used to this 'hot chocolate' stuff." "So what's your middle name?" he says continuing the conversation. "Yukari," I say sipping on my hot chocolate. Van tenses up and looks in all directions. "WHERE?" he says. "No," I say as I giggle. "It comes as a tribute to Yukari for being such a good friend to oka-san; my name is Shiryoku Yukari Kanzaki Akane,"I say very proudly. "Oh," Van says sitting back on the couch some. "So...did you ever kiss oka-san?" I say with a grin. Van blushes at this statement. "C'mon, dish..." "No...I'm not telling you that!" he says as he gets irratated. "Why not?" I say as I make a pouty face. It's almost as if you could've been my dad." Ewww. I just realize what I said. Van and both make a face of disgust. I get our minds off of it by telling him this, "no details- just yes or no." He sighs and relents, "no." "NO?!?!? WHY NOT?!?! I THOUGHT YOU TWO WERE MADLY IN LOVE!!!" "Shiryo, I'm not answering this," he says getting irratated yet again. He gets up off the couch to take his glass and he takes mine with him. I grab a pillow and hold it as I sit indian style. I watch him and think, " *sleep pants without a shirt* *sigh*," and then kick myself mentally. "I CAN'T LIKE HIM!" I scream in my head. He's even still wearing oka-san's necklace.   
He comes back in the room and I notice a red gleam on his hand. At first I thought he had cut himself, and I got really worried. "What's wrong with your hand?" I say jumping off the couch and grabbing his hand. I can see he's completely caught off guard by my action. I pull his hand up and see that it's a ring-(flashback) I remember picking it up and thinking of how beautiful it was. It was made of a stone and a jewl I had never seen before. The jewl was the most beautiful shade of red.(presently) "This ring is gorgeous!" I exclaim. I slide it off his finger and put it on my left ring finger. It fits perfectly. "Is it yours?" I ask. "Ummm...yea...It's a family heirloom...the prince is supposed to ahh..." he stops here. "Do what?" I say looking up at him from the couch now after oohing and ahhing at it. He looks at the ground and finally manages to mumble out, "...give it to his bride to be..." "Oh," I say letting my eyes drift back to the magnificently carved dragon holding the prismatic red jewl. "I was gonna ask to keep it, but ahh," I say removing the ring, "you need it I guess." I hold out my hand palm up with the dragon ring sitting there in the center. He takes it out of my hands and into his. He looks at it and I see his eyes watering. I then finally realize what this meant. "OH!" I say with a short gasp and clasping my hands over my mouth. I wanted to cry now too. He came back to MARRY oka-san but found her dead.   
For the longest there was nothing but silence between the two of us. It was still raining and I still didn't feel like I could sleep soundly yet. Finally, he sat down next to me on the couch.   
"I promise you if you sit here and talk to me long enough, I'll fall asleep and you can just leave me here on the couch," I say putting my head on his shoulder. I glance up at him and he slips the ring back on my finger. "Keep it; I don't think I'll find love ever again," he says very solemnly. "Oh Van! Don't say that," I cry with tears welping up in my eyes again. He looks so sad. "You have to believe..." I drift off before I a shed a couple of tears. "You remind me so much of her at times," he says pushing my head back on his shoulder. I was surprised at this, but didn't mind it. He seems to be in a daze. I try to take his and my mind off of it for a little bit. "What kind of gemstone is it?" I ask choking back tears. "It's drag-engergist or dragon energist as some call it," he says with that monotone voice of his. "It's beautiful..." I whisper. "It's the heart of a dead dragon," he says getting even more quiet. "Eww," I think. That's really weird. Suddenly, I fell a hand stroking my hair. I am surprised yet again. "I love it when people brush my hair; it makes me sleepy," I say feeling the lids of my eyes getting heavy. "Good," he says surprising me for the last time, "you need the rest." He continues to stroke my cherry mahogany hair and we talk about going to oka-san's funeral. We both knew it was going to be extremely hard for us but at least we had each other to lean on.  
*****************  
I sat there for a second after I had made sure Shiryoku was asleep. I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to just stay here on the couch and sleep or whether I should take her to her room and tuck her in. I knew what I wanted to do, (stay right there on the couch) but I knew that Yukari-san and Amano-san would be here in the morning. I figured us on the couch wouldn't be too good of a sight for them to see.   
I picked Shiryo up as not to disturb her sleep and carried her up the stairs. As I carried her I heard her say, "...Dornkirk...oka-san..." I shook my head. The poor thing is worse off than Hitomi...her visions and premonitions are much stronger than Hitomi's were.   
I lay her on her bed and then straighten her covers over her. Her hair is sprawled out all over the pillow and she flips over to me like she's going to wake up. Instead, she just hugs her pillow and a smile comes across her face. She's mumbling more things in her sleep, but dreams are private things and I tried my best not to listen anymore. I suppose she was dreaming about her bedtime story for she was yelling at Hitomi to go find me; telling Hitomi that she loved me.   
I smile, shut her door, and walk back downstairs to my room. I give a long sigh as I crawl back in bed. Tomorrow would be a long, horrible day for me. Probaly the most tragic and heart wrenching day of my life. At least I would have Shiryoku to lean on if I needed to. Tomorrow was Hitomi's funeral.   
*************  
So whatch'a think? R&R PLEAZE! ~japanimejo~ ^_^  
  
*1-There are two different translations that have very different meanings. The dubbed tape says: You're the only one, with that look in YOUR eye...  
The translation at www.animelyrics.com says: It's only for you, this sign held deep within my eyes...  
....SO...take your pick of which you think is right...and i STILL don't own anything just in case you forgot. ^_^; 


	4. Sorrowful Day

A/n: wooooooo-whoooooo! I AM BACK FROM ONE TOO MANY TRIG TESTS!!!!  
(AND CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS ON MACBETH) YAY!!!! LOL sorry to all my loyal readers out there who have stuck with this fic and much thanks for waiting for the update...this is for you...I promise I have made it worth your time...also, there is another more serious fic I have started about Heero Yuy from Gundam W...check it out if you like the way this one is set up...and on to our story!  
  
~Chapter 3: Sorrowful Day~  
  
I roll over in my bed and look at the clock. The numbers glow a bright red that stings my eyes...or maybe it was just the fact that I had been crying all night-even in my sleep.   
Yesterday had been so much fun; I loved just running around the mall with Van. He's someone that I felt I've known forever but he's also somewhat of a mystery. I had completely forgotten that I was practically an orphen when I was with him. I had been enjoying myself. "How selfish of me..." I mumbled running my hands in my hair and convincing myself to get out of the bed.  
I grabbed a robe and went to wake Van up. To my surprise, he was already up too. I looked at his eyes. They looked like mine. Dry. Dry because every drop of moisture they contained had been shed to remember Hitomi...my oka-san...  
I looked at the solemn boy. His eyes seemed to dart between the pictures of my family, to me, and back again to the pictures. He then hung his head as he sat on the couch. He quietly mummured, " she's really gone now isn't she? gone forever and I lost my chance all because I had no guts..."  
This comment struck me as abnormal for something Van would say. I stared at him in utter confusion. He continued. "I should be in Fanelia...protecting the kingdom, working to better the people, not here, not just being a bum..." he said running his hands through his raven hair letting it fall right back into place.  
"Van," I whispered. "What are you saying?" I say with a closed fist against the center of my chest. I feel tears stinging in the back of my eyes but I can't cry anymore. It hurts too much. He comtinued as he hung his head even lower and folded his hands at the nape of his neck. "I shouldn't be here...I've only made things worse on everyone...Yukari wants me to go, I've caused Hitomi to take her own life, and you are practically alone becuase of all of this...I have abandoned my people for a period of time...I need to get back..." he says sounding almost like he's given up on the world.   
"Oh Van! Don't wish that! If you left me here..." I catch myself with what I am about to say. I think it to myself. "I would truly be alone then...truly alone becuase I feel we have such a bond..."  
Van gets up from the couch quickly while I am still standing there searching for words. As he passes by me, I feel a cold wind against my cheek, drying the last tear I had let fall. I turned and watched him walk down the hall. "I'm going to go get dressed," he mumbled.  
I watched him until heard his door slam shut. "Yukari must've recognized him..." I said outloud to myself feeling a little bit of anger. "Oh God!," I cried out for help. "If only oka-san were alive, I wouldn't be in such a mess!" I fell to my knees and let out what I had been holding back. Tears flooded my face and sobs could be heard throughout the house and there was no one there but myself on to lean. I felt so bitter and alone.  
****************  
I slammed the door shut. I gazed around the room. I could feel the bottoms of my eyes filling up with water. Suddenly, my vision went blurry and I couldn't hold it back any longer. "Men aren't supposed to cry, especially kings...they are supposed to be strong for those they protect and love...yet here I am in another situation unable to hold my own ground...I'm such a wuss..." I say looking at Hitomi's picture. "I couldn't do anything...but I didn't have to send you back either...and now, never the chance to know what could've been..." I held the picture in my hands for a couple of seconds just staring at how happy her face was in the picture with Shiryo and Keiichi. It made me sick. That was supposed to be me-happy. I could never have that though.  
I threw the picture across the room and got dressed into my funeral attire. It felt nice to dawn the fitting color for the mood and occasion. I fixed my tie and threw the blazer over my shoulder. I walked out of the room angry and frustrated unable to understand why I couldn't seem to acheive a simple happiness like Hitomi seemed to have done. "Maybe I was stuck on a girl who was never really stuck on me..." I thought to myself. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I heard Shiryo's voice. "Don't you dare say that! Oka-san loved you until the second she hit the ground!"  
I look straight in front of me and Shiryo is in the middle of the floor, on her knees, and crying her heart out. "If she had truly known what love was," I say looking down at Shiryo, " then she wouldn't have married that man! She would've waited for me!"  
I can see in her eyes that Shiryo is hurt by the comment, but that's how I feel about it. She lets out a small gasp, covers her mouth with one hand and the other is balled up in a fist pressed firmly against her chest. She then lowers her head to the side and shakes it as if to say "no" she doesn't understand.  
I didn't feel like I could do anything to help her or anyone anymore. I just simply walked away...headed to the car and awaited for Yukari, Amano, and Shiryo to follow so I could say one last goodbye.  
****************  
I got in the car and noticed that Van's red-brown eyes were seeming so cold all the sudden. I looked to the front at Amano and Yukari. Each passing moment in that silent vessel was ripping at my mind. Silence has never been so peircing to my ears before now. No one seemed to want to show any emtion or provide any input as to what they were feeling. Yet here I was, wanting answers I couldn't have and trying to stand on my own feet when I knew how desprately dependant I was.  
A chill rushed over my body. I felt that this day would forever change my life...in so many ways that I might not be able to handle...this is going to be such a tragic, sad day...it is inedeed a sorrowful day...  
*****************************  
Dryden pushed his glasses back up on his nose with his middle finger. He set the book down on his coffee table. "This is very interesting..." Dryden said to himself while folding his arms. "Issac...he knew much about Escaflowne and the fate-alteration machine...he concluded that they go hand in hand...but they both need the power of the girl from the mystic moon to be activated to their full potential...then he met Allen's father...they searched together...but poor Issac was a schizophrenic...he was ultimately devoured by his dark personna...Dornkirk...who then wanted to rule the world as all men do when they are possesed by evil intent..." Dryden picked the book back up. "Very interesting indeed..." he continued to read until he came across a blank page.   
He jumped when he felt a small chill run from the top of his neck to the bottom of his spine. Something in the back of his mind told him to go get his fountain pen. He grabbed his pen from the ink well off the coffee table and touched the ink to the paper. Quickly, the paper turned completely black and then back to the tarninshed brown color it had been before. Dryden jumped at this and almost threw the book out of his lap. Then he noticed words appearing on the page.   
" It's  
not  
over  
yet....  
The  
dragon  
is  
still  
not  
at  
rest..........  
There  
is  
another  
one.........."  
Dryden's mouth fell open and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He dipped his pen in the ink well and touched it again to the page. Nothing happened this time though. He then wrote, "This is Dryden, who are you?"  
The ink seemed to gather into one spot on the page collecting from all the other words that had been written.  
It read....  
  
"ISSAC"  
******************************  
I was really beginning to get upset now. Van hadn't shown any emotion since last night. He hadn't shed one single tear during the entire ceremony over the one person he truly loved but there was still the burrial of the casket left to go. Yukari had boo-hooed her eyes out and Amano had also shed a couple of tears.   
I glanced around at the different people here. Some of them were simply here out of sympathy for me I suppose. Some of them were just here to see the crazy neighbor off to eternity.  
I caught a glimpse of Van out of the corner of my eye. He was standing behind everyone in a corner with his arms folded in a stance that seemed to say, "stay away from me." I didn't like what I was seeing. I walked over to talk to him about what was going on with him when I felt faint. "Oh please, no! Not now!" I screamed out.  
I felt all of their eyes on me. It was almost as if they were hot and boring a hole into my skull. The ground under my feet seemed to disappear. I looked around me but everything was black. It was like being blind almost...I finally managed to regain some feeling in my feet and I stood up. There, in front of me was my mother-alive. "Shiryo-be strong..." she said quietly. "What?!" I cried. "Your power lies in how strongly you believe in things, people, and most of all feelings..." I began to go hug her but just as I went to clasp her, she faded away. I then looked up to see a wall covered in the same writting as from the last vision.   
************  
"Mother! Don't go!" I heard Shiryo yell. I immeadiately ran to her. She was on her knees; her hands were pressed over the temples of her head. "It's them again, isn't it?" I mumbled more as a statement than a question. Yukari made a face at Amano that seemed to say, "all the more reason I don't like the boy." Amano took Yukari aside and whispered to her, " Hitomi used to do this...when that boy came around...she has to work through this herself or else she'll wind up like Hitomi..." "But Amano," she whispered, "she' s suffering so much and she's already been put through heck...she doesn't deserve this..."  
I finally quit listening to the two and grab Shiryo's hands and hold them in mine. Her small hands are clamy, covered in perspiration from fear. Evidently, her body was prepearing her for the fight or flight response. "What demons bother you now, girl?" I whispered to her as spectators looked on.  
************  
"WHY?" I said as I gritted my teeth and walked around. My hands were fist and my face was wrenched in anger. "WHY DO I SEE VISIONS?" I yelled into the nothingness. I turned circles searching for someone, something, some sign of life.  
As soon as I had done this, I felt the ground beneath my feet go. I was falling, dropping down into the nothingness.   
Suddenly, a cool rush came over my body. I opened my eyes that I had shut from the falling feeling. Water. I was bathed in cool, refreshing water. I had no air though. I would drown soon if I couldn't find an air pocket. I pushed around the cerulean sea with my hands. The water was so clear. I could see for miles. It was so beautiful. If I was to die now, I suppose this would be as good as any place to do it. It was so gorgeous.  
No sooner had I thought this when my body felt cramped. I couldn't move. I didn't have the room to anymore. I saw controls, a window, and a place that held some sort of darkened crystal.(1)   
"What is this?" I thought to myself. Once again, no answers. I was then knocked out of conciousness because there was too much water in my lungs.  
*******************  
Shiryoku's body went limp. I reached foward to catch her. She fell straight into my arms. Her body felt so cold, so lifeless. There was only a small pulse beating through her veins. "Shiryo? What's going on in there? Please!" I yelled aloud. I didn't want anything else to happen to her. Not after all this. I had already caused enough problems for her. I squeezed her hand even tighter. "Lighten the load and give some of those mental demons for me to handle with you..."I whispered in her ear. I couldn't stand to see her like this. Neither her body nor her mind could take it right now.  
**************  
When I awoke, I was in a strange place. There was a great city built with many white buildings, columns, and there was a wall before me with some writting like the stuff I found in my oka-san's room the day Van arrived. I didn't have time to examen it though becuase a voice called to me,"Shiryo." It sounded like Van but he wasn't here.  
"Shiryo," I heard a voice call. I turned to see a woman with long hazelnut hair, fair features, and *gasp* white wings! "My name is Varie...you wanted to know why you have visions...that can't really be expained but your destiny and fate can..."  
I backed away in fear of the woman. *BUMP* I turned around to see an old man resting agaist a cane. "I brought you here to the Mystic Valley to make you aware of things to come...much depends on you...." he said.  
I backed away from him too. I didn't understand anything. Suddenly, my great- grandmother and my mother appeared. They all appeared to be real people but they also appeared as spirits at the same time.   
"I never quite finished my experiments..." the old man continued. I raised an eyebrow as I watched him pace. Varie simply lowered her head and shook it. "His spirit won't rest until he's finished his work and feels some closure...I didn't want this to happen...oh my poor son, I never wished this on you!" she screamed beginning to cry with her head cradled by her hands.  
I became more baffled every second I stood here. "....call the third spirit..." the old man mumbled. My heart skipped a beat and I lost my breath at the sight of it. It was a girl who looked exactly like me!  
She was dressed in a beautiful silk, flowing dress with a crown of flowers upon her head. "Who..." I whispered as the three began to form a circle around me.  
"...Ehheehehehe..." the old man cackled. "The past, present, and future meet!" he yelled.   
"Who are you?" I finally managed to choke out, peering over the three people's heads. He smirked. "A friend...or a foe...whichever you decide, Zephyer..." "That's not my name," I called to him. "I demand a name of you though!"  
He cackled agian. "Am I Issac or Dornkirk today? I don't know...I'm not feeling particularly benevolent but then again, I don't wish for the direct end of this world..."  
I shook my head not understanding and becoming more upset and frustrated with each passing second. Why had he called me Zephyer? Who was Varie? Why is there a me here in this strange place? What are oka-san and great-grandma doing here?   
My mother, great-grandmother, and the alternate me started moving in a circle around me with linked hands. "Start the experiment..." Issac said as he walked off.  
As each face passed by me, one of the girls took a line of this chant:  
The third in line  
the third to believe  
the first to bring the end of things  
or give life-  
That is your charge!  
Give her wings!  
Take flight! Fly!  
Across an ancient sky!  
Go to Gaea,  
Earth reborn-  
And no longer have feelings forlorn!  
To Gaea you belong!  
You are the Maiden of Song!  
GO NOW!  
GAEA AWAITS!  
And with that the circle breaks and the spirits dissapate. I can hear the voice of me call one last thing, "...and so does he..."  
I pass out again. I feel like I am watching slow motion though. As my eyelids shut, Issac stands over me and says, "...the Gravity of Destiny I still wish to see..."   
*******************  
Fog clouds everything I see. I'm back in the void again. The cloud is so heavy. I look desprately for some way out. Straight ahead, I see two round, mahogany ovals. I start to feel drawn to them and walk towards them. Suddenly, they aren't there anymore.   
Van's face is shoved into the light and out of the fog. He looks at me with sad, understanding eyes. I am just glad to get a rise of emotion out of him. "Are you ok?" he says worried. I just am overjoyed to have my friend back and not emotionless that I begin to cry. I throw my arms around his neck and cry on his broad shoulder. I open my eyes with my head still on his shoulder and I look to see Varie floating over my mother's casket.   
"What are you doing here?" I cry out. (By now, everyone is really weireded out; all that is except for Van, Amano, and Yukari who are just plain worried.)  
"Who do you speak to?" Van says holding onto my shoulders so tightly that it hurts. "She says her name is Varie..." I reply still staring at the sad woman. "MOTHER?" Van cries out. "I'm sorry to bother you both, but I can't allow this...I can't see my son hurt again! He, deep down in his heart, wants to go home! Can't you just let him go Zephyer?"  
"NO! He's the only friend I have!" I cry out clenching his shirt while leaning my head on his chest. I can hear his heartbeat. It's racing but he stays calm. "I can't see her! I can't see my mother but you can? HOW?" he says getting upset.   
"He NEEDS and WANTS to go home..." Varie says again firmly and disappears.   
Van gives me a little push to go away. He gets up and says his last goodbye to Hitomi. It was so sad. He whispered something in Fanelian to her in the casket followed by a, "...I will be yours forever and always..."  
The gentle breeze blows past my cheek. It feels so calming, so peaceful. I close my eyes and let my mind be eased by it. It dries my tears and almost speaks to me. My cherry mahogany hair is blowing in the wind and I feel as if I hear monks singing...I can't quite make out what they are saying. "....sca......ne......" I tune everything around me out and listen more intently. What message could possibly be carried by the wind? "....sca..lo...ne...." I almost can hear them now. I rise from sitting on my knees to be kneeling now. I begin to mouth the word with them. It finally comes within hearing range. I close my hand over my chest feeling the dragon ring Van gave to me becoming hot. I open my mouth and let the word flood out from it, "E-sca-flow-ne.....E-sca-flow-ne....." I sing in accord with the monks. I finally open my eyes and Van has jumped at the sight of hearing this. His eyes have dialated to mere pinpionts for pupils and he whispers, "...you hear them too?....Why would Escaflowne be calling you?...."   
"Escaflowne is calling you? Why? It shouldn't be...Gaea is at peace..." I say knitting my eyebrows together portraying even more confusion on my face. Yukari lets go of Amano's shirt and rushes to my side. She cradles my head in her hands and says, "...pay no attention to anything you have seen or heard" she says to all the people around us. "...you're just dealing with your mother's death in a different way than most people do..."   
I jerk my head out of her hands. "YUKARI! How dare you say something like that!" I yell bringing myself to tears. "You of all people should know how these visions plauge a person! Things actually happen! What would you do if you couldn't get rid of them? They FORCE you to pay attention! IT CAN'T BE HELPED! You must find what they mean for yourself!" I stand to my feet. I turn to look at Van. His eyes are still dialated and his knuckles are white from his tight grip on oka-san's casket.   
I look back at Yukari who has targeted Van with her eyes. She raises a finger and points it at him saying, "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! NOTHING WENT WRONG UNTIL YOU SHOWED UP!"  
That was it for me. That was the very last straw. I was tired of her putting blame on poor Van. He already had enough on his shoulders. I took Yukari's hand and pushed it down. I then walked over and slapped her on her cheek as hard as I possibly could. "Maybe it was never him, Yukari! Maybe you started to push her away before he ever even got here!"  
Yukari held her cheek and her eyes were wide with fear. I then stepped foward even closer to her and said, "You got married, Yukari...She felt like a third wheel...and then you had a child...of course friends pull away from each other when one marries and has children...it's ineviditable!" Yukari gasped at the sight of me mad. I usually never got angry and lashed out like this but there was something burning deep inside my heart now. "Maybe you're the one who can't handle Hitomi's death...." and with that said I marched off. I don't even look back to see what is happening with Van. I regret that I didn't turn back for once in my life.   
As soon as I heard the sound that resembled a sonic boom, I saw a great column of light appear. I saw Van swept up into it and I raced after him. I reached my small hand up into the warm light to grab onto Van's. As soon as he saw this, he bent down as far as he could with a slight smile and an extended hand also. I felt his thick fingertips touch my delicate, slim fingers and then I was drug down and away from them. I had just barely missed being pulled up by him into the light.  
I looked down with my vision becoming blurry from the water that was forming in the bottom of my eyes. There was Yukari, clasped onto my leg pulling me away from the light.   
I turned back up letting crystal clear drops of tears float up in the light. I mouthed, "gomen ne," to Van and his expression went from slight joy to utter and absolute sadness. A tear slowly floated up next to him and he held it on the tip of his finger and looked at me one last time. Then, he was gone.  
I felt I lost the will to go on;I was so saddend. I just feel to my knees and started to cry again. I was truly alone now. I had lost everything that I had ever had. I had lost my mother and my friend. I had lost a new found friend and a brother. I had Yukari and Amano, but they were being so overbearing, so overprotective. What I needed now was simply someone to listen, but no...I would look everywhere and find that nowhere. "It truly is a sorrowful day..." I mumbled between tears.  
*******************  
"It's home..." I say aloud while staring at the sky and noticing the two moons of Gaea. I take in a deep breath and listen to everything in the field surrounding me. I've always loved the field. It's just so pure...so clean...so honest...I let the wind fly through my hair and take another deep breath. I hold out my arms and release something I had been holding back for a while. I stretched, hoping to ease some of the pain that came from releasing my wings. They finally came out and I decided fly home to the castle. I always fly when I think about things. Right now, I wanted to know why I had heard the calling of Escaflowne. I was also thinking about Shiryo. She had looked so sad not being able to come with me. And as much as I like her, it's better this way.  
As I flew home, I let myself go for once. I tried to ease my mind by doing all sorts of loops, dives, and just gliding. After a good while, I was finally back at the castle. I landed in a nearby field, one I was used to visiting and retracted my wings. I let the wind pass through me one last time before I returned to the stresses of being a young king. I could've sworn I heard the wind carrying Shiryoku's voice saying , "...this truly is a sorrowful day..." "I wish I could've let you tag along..." I say thoughtfully.  
I head back to the castle and the first person to greet me is Merlu. She wraps her arms around me and begins crying. "What's wrong?" I ask her with a great deal of concern in my voice.  
"Oh Van-sama! It's horrible! There's a man here claiming to be your brother's son! He says that he's older than you and that he should be on the throne!" she says letting tears fall from every direction possible.  
I am baffled by this. Folken never married and would have never been the type to have a mistress. No, this WAS impossible. The man was an imposter. That's all there was to it. I looked just above Merlu's shoulder and saw what appeared to be the ghost of my brother only with longer hair and an evil grimace on his face. He spoke.  
"That's right-I AM you brother's son...My name is Marius Lacour de Fanel."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
THAT'S RIGHT! CLIFFHANGER! MUHAHAHAHAAAAA...evil authoress...it won't take long to get this back on track...got a school holiday tomorrow so I will work a lot then...Heero Yuy fic will get updated prally too...in proofing process. SO, everyone R&R if ya' don't mind...tell others about this, hope you enjoyed! ~love japanimejo~  
  
(1)The "darkened crystal" described was supposed to be the back of the place where one inserts the dragon engergist in Escaflowne. 


	5. Authour's Note 1

Authour's note 1  
  
Hey guys! It's japanimejo and I am just writting to let you know that I am comtemplating taking this fic off. This story is a lot of work and I want a broad auidience and I have just a few readers. (LOVE TO ALL WHO DO READ) By publishing this, I am hoping to get the summary on the site a little publicity, so fear not yet. However, if I don't get a couple of new readers after posting this, I will remove it. (might post it later on in the future, but it wil be removed if no new readers) So please, help a girl out and keep this story going by telling your esca-obssesed fans to give my fic a try, even if they don't like it.  
  
i love you all and i'll keep you posted on what's going to happen,  
~japanimejo~ 


	6. Marius and the Battle of the Angels

Deadicated to: Chimei-nakidasu, becuase she inspires me to keep writting ^_^  
a/n: woooo-who! I recently looked at the past posted chapters on the site and noticed so many mistakes in the chapter titles! (that won't happen anymore thank goodness now that I have a computer that works.) But for everyone out there who wants to know this is how they are supposed to go:  
Prolouge: Angel Fallen, Angel Flying  
Vision 1: Explanations for Van  
Vision 2: It's Kareoke Time  
Vision 3: Sorrowful Day  
And then this one, Vision 4: Marius  
Oh, and there's a slight time slip that occurs since last chapter. Time passes more quickly on Earth than it does on Gaea. I'm not a mathematical genius, so I didn't fix up the numbers for ya'....but for story purposes, three months have passed since Van left and Shiryoku is still in her state of horrible depression, as when we last left her. Yukari has been acting as a mother, but Shiryoku has been pulling away.   
  
~Vision 4: Marius and the Battle of the Angels~  
  
I sat on the bed in my room crying myself into a state of hyperventilation from realizing my deepness of depression. I had lost everything. "What to do now? Are there no visions to show me a way? No sign of hope?" I raised my head from where I had burried it in the triangle that I had made with my arms on the bed. I wiped away my tears and glanced at my reflection in the mirror across from my bed.   
I was always told that I was a pretty girl but I didn't think so. I always had thought of myself as normal. There was nothing outstanding about me. I had one length, straight, mahgonay hair that stopped right below my shoulders. A small mouth, a cute, button nose, and big green eyes finished off the rest of me. I was nothing special.   
The only thing I could do was sing. "I can't even do that now...I don't want to anymore..." I felt my voice quivering with my body. I felt so insecure and uneasy. "I can't even sing anymore...*gasp*...the one thing I could do! I'm getting scared! I don't want to be alone! Can't someone out there protect me?!" I cried flinging crystal clear drops of liquid across the room, not expecting a reply.  
Suddenly, the mirror infront of me rippled like when a pebbles skip across a pond. I took a few steps back in fear. My eyes grew wide in surprise at what I saw. "If you don't like the Phantom Moon, just come to me and I'll protect you," said the mysterious shadow.   
I cupped my hands over my mouth in fear and whispered, "Van?". No, it couldn't be Van. He couldn't leave Fanelia for me...besides, this guy's voice was too deep to be Van's. "You don't have to suffer like this...you shouldn't suffer like this...if you come with me," he said sticking out a hand to finish his proposal, "I can show you a perfect world; a world rid of pain, sorrow, and suffering." He shoves his hand out even farther almost touching mine. I jerked my hands back and stared at the shadow in disbelief  
. "I want to believe you so badly..." I said folding my arms in unsurity. "But that would be a very sad world...I'd rather know pain than to not know emtion..." He pulls his hand back into the watery glass and shakes his head in disapprovement.. "When you tire of this world, I will await your return to take you to another," he whispered as he dissapaited into the mirror.  
************************  
"IMPOSSIBLE!!! You are NOT MY BROTHER'S SON!" I cried out pushing Merlu behind me to protect her. "Why not?" Marius replied with a smug look on his face. "Aren't you interested if it's possible, uncle?"  
I reached for the handle of my sword; I didn't trust this character at all. He took one step closer to me and held out a glass tube. "Dornkirk's science brought me to life..." he said forcing the tube in my hand. I lost my breath over this. Everyone on Gaea knew what Dorkirk's science was capable of doing and this was nothing short of one of his preposterous ideas. "I was born from a test tube, the necessary genetic information from a man and a woman were mixed into that tube and then I was placed into the womb of a woman willing to bear me..."  
I stood there in shock and disbelief. I couldn't believe this; he was telling the truth. "Your brother gave the necessary parts to Dornkirk at the age of 20. But how can you be older than me you say? I was also given in the tube, the fortune blood, which as you learned with my father will make you age quicker and shorten your life but Dornkirk nulled that effect about a a day before he died..." He took the test tube back from me and quietly stuck it in his pocket.  
"Eeeerrgggh..." I grunted as I drew my sword and Merlu hid behind me. "I still don't believe you," I said defiantly knowing he couldn't have fabricated such a lie. "Very well then...I didn't want to resort to this..." Marius said pulling off his jacket and shirt. He let out a groan and then I was shocked even more than I was before...  
************************  
I stood at the french doors that led out to the balcony of my room. It was a peaceful rain outside. I liked just hearing the simple pit-pat pit-pat of rain. Somehow, I felt something calming about it. I glanced up at the moon in tonight's navy blanketed sky. It sure was brighter than usual tonight. It was almost illuminating the sky.   
I folded my arms and turned to my desk. Sitting there on top of it was my mother's tarot cards. I looked at them longingly; I felt they were pulling me to pick them up. "Please...no more..." I whispered. I feared what would come of the reading. It was usually an unpleaseant vision.  
*********************************  
"...Wings...silver wings...silver feathered wings like mine..." I said lowering my sword looking at the navy headed boy standing before me. "Now do you believe me uncle," he said with a raised eyebrow.   
I left my sword usheathed and I was still on my guard. "What do you want with me..." I said cautiously and annoyedly. "What I want..." he said pacing around me, "...is only what's rightfully mine."   
I watched him walk the circles around me. "What is that?" "I'm the eldest of the first crown prince of Fanelia...I have the heart of a dead dragon from the Phantom Moon...Fanelia is rightfully mine; I am the king..."  
*********************************  
I sat on my bed in a cold sweat. "Was...was...was that the man that appeared in the mirror to me? I am sure it was...I continued pulling the cards from the deck hoping to see what else was going to happen. "He can't take away the throne from Van; he musn't!!!" I thought. "Fanelia is all he has..." I whispered to myself. I pulled my next card...  
*********************************  
"Fanelia will never be yours!" I shouted. "What have you ever done for the people? What did you so called "Father" ever do for them?!? Where were you during the great war? I, myself was still a child and I led armies! You-you...you know nothing about the people, their pains, their sorrows, their worries....things are starting to go well now...I will fight you to the death over this!!!" Van says charging full force. Merlu becomes very frightened and runs back into the palace.  
Marius jumps up and hoovers over me with his wings. He unsheaths his sword with a diabolical look on his face. "You know what uncle? You don't charge agressively enough!" he says dive bombing the sword tip at me. I just barely move out of the way; my left shoulder is nicked. It starts to bleed tremendously, but I block the pain out as usual.  
********************************  
"Arrrrrrrggghhh!!!!" I grabbed my left shoulder which was throbbing now with a horrible pain. I bent down and stayed that way wishing the immense pain would just wash away. "Van...he's hurting..." I muttered trying to scoop myself off the floor to pull the next card.  
********************************  
"You make for quite a formidable foe, no, little uncle?" Marius said taking once again to the skies. "However, if you truly want a fair fight, you'll have to fly, I'm afraid...muahahahahahaha..."   
I grunt and let my sword down for a moment. My mother's words came flooding back into my head. "Van, promise me you won't let anyone see your wings..."  
********************************  
"Van..." I say closing my eyes still grimacing from the pain. "Do it...no one will care about seeing your wings...it would probably give them hope..." I can still see him debating over everything in his mind. It bothered me. Why be upset over using his wings? HE HAD to to keep Fanelia....  
"Your feelings will reach him..." I could hear my mother's voice. "Right, my feelings reach Van...no matter space, nor time...they do reach..." I said closing my eyes and trying the dousing my mother had taught me when I was young. I pictured the pendant, for I knew Van would be wearing it. I could sense it on him; I could sense Van was just going to give up and tell Marius he would have to take it up with the Royal Court...  
*********************************  
I stopped dead in fear. It was like the last time I used Escaflowne. In my mind's eye, she was there with me. "NOOOOOOOO!!! Don't give up!" she screamed at me. She clutched my torso almost in tears. "Why let your wings stop you from defending your country? Why let something so beautiful, so unique be so shameful?" I returned her grasp around me. "Shiryoku...you don't understand..." I said gazing down at the top of her head. She lifted her small face up at mine. Tears were almost in her eyes, she looked like she could just burst into tears at any second.  
Marius intterupted the session in my head, "are you coming or not?" he said, sword drawn and ready. "Fly, my angel..." she said with a hopeful, tearful look with her hands clasped sitting in a praying stance. "Fly and protect your kingdom..."  
*********************************  
"Fly and protect your kingdom..." I said and then I heard a *slam.* It was just the wind, but it broke my concentration. I had lost Van. I looked out my window. The moon was still growing brighter; the night was still young. I decided I would see what mother loved about sitting on the roof and staring at the moon for myself. I headed up to the attic, got on the roof, and layed down with my arms behind my head wondering what would happen to Van...  
********************************  
"Ars n Dutchas....and my kingdom," I mumbled unfurling my hidden wings for the first time in a long time. "Hehe...that's more like it!" Marius said drawing his sword above his head as I quickly flew to meet the first blow. *CLASH* The Battle of the Angels had begun.  
It was much harder than I expected, fighting someone in the air. I had enough problems with swordfighting on ground. Everytime Marius would send his blade my way, I would get knocked off balance forcing me to regroup myself and get my wings straight for flying again. But why?  
I decided I would charge at him full speed. I flew above the clouds, then turn my sword point down and dive bombed my way right to him. He retalited with simply putting all his weight into his sword. *SREEEECH* My attack was stopped. "!@#$!!!!" thought. "What now?"  
Why was he able to have the upper hand in this? He had never fought in a war; he had never taken hours of swordfighting technique. I studided his every move carefully. "Could it be the fortune blood?" I wondered, "but still, I could beat Naria and Eryia..." Antoher blow to block and I continued to think just letting him come after me and recieving every advance with a defense.  
Then it hit me. His sword was one of defenese; it was made of a particurarly heavy metal alloy allowing him shove me off my balance with his amount of already given strength at any time. And to make matters more is his favor, he's heavier in weight than I am so he brought me up to the stratosphere to fight...so where do I take him to make him my equal? Somewhere windy? No, that'll just make things worse for me..." I cut my eyes around my surroundings hoping to find some answer. To my surprise, Marius dropped his sword and glided back to down to the earth. He called to me, "tell ya' what uncle, if you can find a suitable queen to marry within the next week, I'll let you keep Fanelia!" he said with a devilish smile.   
Just then, Merlu came back with Allen. "What's the meaning of all this?!" he asked pulling his sword from his sash. "It's alright, Schezar, I'm leaving...but you should be able to help Vannie-boy up there....hehe...Lord knows he's going to need it....he'll needs the 'playboy' skills, no?" Marius begins to leave.  
I finally float back down and retract my wings only after Marius does his. "A week and I'll be claiming what's mine...if I don't see a wedding by the blue moon month, Fanelia is mine..." and he's out of sight by then.  
I let out a sigh. What to do now? I haven't fully gotten over Hitomi, much less had time to think about what I was going to tell everyone...how to tell them that someone they all loved, that was so dear to them, is dead? By committing suicide? That wasn't like her...she was always so happy...."  
(outside the Fanelian outskirts) Marius can be seen putting his cloak back. "Hehe...bring her to this planet Van...make my work easier for me...."  
"What just happend here?" asked Allen. "Oh! Lord Van!" Merlu cried. "Are you alright?!...I think Millerna is in town; I'll go get her!" Merlu cried wanting to take care of my shoulder. She bandaged it some.  
"Nonsense, Merlu...don't bother her..." I say sheathing my sword. "I will do as I please!" she cries and hurries off in a huff. "She's very good to you, you know that.." Allen says raising an eyebrow. "Yes, I know..." I mutter. I'm too busy thinking for his idle chatter. "So, please, explain what that man was doing here so that I can understand what is going on here..." Allen says motioning for me to go inside the castle with him. I lead and he follows.  
**********************************  
"I'm sooo pathetic...I don't have anything special about me....I'm not pretty, I don't play a sport, I can't sing, I can't act, I don't have a boyfriend, I don't have any friends...." I say with tears welling up in my eyes. "I do have a friend, but he's a million miles away....I'm an orphan..." I give a slight smile to my thoughts. "I have such a wonderful life....Oh! Cursed are the heavens that look down upon me! For, they do not hear my deaf cries! No! It's an endeavor in vain for the stars sit and smile upon my fate!"  
"What are you screaming and carrying on about up there?!? And WHY are you up there?!?" says a familar voice. It's Yukari. "I'm really beginning to worry about you..." she says being genuinely concerned.   
"Oh, man you're blind woman!" Can you not see it? Did you not see it? The day he left, he flew my heart away with him! He's the brother I never had, the friend I've never known! You are to blame for all of my troubles! WHY did I let myself spiral into this bottomless hole they call depression? Because you sent him home! You made him feel unwelcome and now I feel unwelcome in my home-that isn't right! So if what's peverse is right, and what's right is peverse then I shall forever be an angsty teen rather than the happy go lucky girl you once took pride in knowing!" I say finishing my solioquioy by dangling myself off the edge of the roof.  
"And I just thought you were rebelling with all the black eyeliner, clothes, nailpolish..." Yukari said becoming geniunely frighthend. "Oh, Shiryoku..."  
***********************************  
"So, now....I guess I need to throw a ball, so I can find someone to marry...." I say with a lump in my throat. I didn't want to marry....it's too early in life...I AM just 16....  
"Well, you broght back Hitomi didn't you?" Allen said with a comforting smile.  
There was a dead silence between us.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry Van, she turned you down then, huh? I guess she wasn't worth it after all..." he says scratching the back of his head laughing to himself. Then he stops when I don't join him. "That is it, isn't it Van?" he asks very unsuredly.  
I just look at him. I close my eyes and let out a sigh. "She's gone..."  
"What do you mean?" he says his eyes widening with fear.  
"I mean she's gone...for good...forever...."  
"You mean like...."  
"....Dead...."  
"HOW?"  
"I don't want to discuss it...."  
"WHY?"  
"I'm not over it yet....I'll tell ya' later...."  
"BUT..."  
"LATER!....Just don't let any of the others know yet...."  
"Alright," he says going from the edge of his seat to leaning back.  
I leave the room and go out to the feilds that I love to just sit and think in. The grass is always green,tall and wispy. The wind is always blowing and the smell of the fields is just great. It's unforgettable.  
I sat out in the middle next to a patch of flowers. "Feh...even the flowers look sad..." I say pulling my knees up so close that my head could rest on them. "What am I going to do?" I think feeling like I could cry. "I won't though...I can't....I have to be strong...."  
The wind blows even harder and I take a deep breath in. "I wish I still had Shiryoku around...I wish Shiroyoku could come to Gaea..."  
**********************************  
"No, Yukari! You haven't let me breath since oka-san died! You've been smothering me! I might as well have died myself! I WISH I WAS ANYWHERE BUT HERE!" I say finally letting all my hate towards her go. It hurt me to tell her this, but if I ever wanted my freedom back, I'd have to tell her. "In fact, I WISH I WAS ON GAEA RIGHT NOW!!!"  
  
And then there was a column of light....  
  
And then I was laying in a feild....with tall, green grass, flowers, and a wonderful smell...I looked directly in front of me...the Earth hung in the sky with the moon!   
  
Then, there was a familar face....  
  
raven noir messy hair.....  
  
crimson eyes.....  
  
and that great smile......  
  
"VAN!" I said jumping up throwing my arms around his neck almost knocking him down. I think I startled him, becuase he had been standing over me like he was trying to figure out if I was ok or not. I got a giggle out of him as he was trying to regain his balance. I couldn't let go. I couldn't believe my wish had come true!  
He wrapped his arms around me too, then followed by a very serious, solemn tone of voice saying, "there's a lot I need to tell you...a lot to catch up on..." His eyes narrowed and looked at me with a pleading look to understand. "Ok..." I said taking a step back from smothering him. I plopped down in the grass and patted the ground next to me. "Sit...talk...get it off your mind...." I said trying to comfort him. A small, gentle smile srpead across his worried face. "C'mon, say it....you've missed me!" I said with a rather cheezy grin while bumping shoulders with him after he had sat down. "Anyway, like I was saying...." he continued with a mischievous look. "Oh! Whatever....It's all about ME, VAN, CUZ I"M THE KING!" I said waiving my hands around trying to do my best impression of him. "I don't act like that!" Van said with an indignant look. "Do too...now tell me what's going on...it's about to kill me...." He then proceeded to tell me how the fight I saw in my vision ended.   
  
*********************************  
Yukari looked at the roof of the house and then turned to cry on Amano's shoulder. "It's all my fault...." she sobbed. "Hitomi came back to us...Shiryo will too...you have to believe in her..." he said walking her back to their home nextdoor.  
********************************  
Marius walked along in the forrest muttering things and laughing evilly to himself. "Now...to find the boss...." he said.  
********************************  
Dryden was startled by a noise he heard from in his living room. He stopped fixing his lunch to find that Issac's journal had flung itslef open.   
  
"IT HAS BEGUN!"  
  
{End! YAY! another cliffhanger...maybe not as long as my others, but I think this had more action...so please review! I love everyone!}   
[Ars n Dutchas is my family's Gaelic motto which means, "for my heritage."] 


	7. Prophecy

WOOO. O.O Yea, my muse got mad at me and took an unexpected vaction. So I'm sorry for the delay in the update. Anyway, here ya'  
go! R&R PLZ!  
  
Vision 5: Prophecy  
  
Dryden approached the book very cautiously. "I'm beginning to think this thing is demon possesed and that it's not really Issac's." He dipped his feather pen in the ink pot and touched it to the paper. "To answer your question, I am Issac's spirit..." the book replied forming the letters from the ink drop.   
  
"What causes you to be bound to this world still? I thought you died at the end of the great war..."  
  
"My other half still wishes to finish his research..."  
  
"Research?"  
  
"On the ultimate use of the Fate Alteration Machine."  
  
"But he used the Zone of Absolute Fortune already..."  
  
"Ah, but yet, there is a prophecy from the Ispano tribe..."  
  
"Prophecy?"  
  
"Yes, a prophecy."  
  
Drdyen slowly sat down on the couch and put the book on the coffee table. "I want to hear it."  
  
"For your own good, I should hope you would."  
  
Then, the feather pen started to write pages after pages of words.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
"So then Marius retracts his wings," I says holding a fake sword up in the air against Shiryo's fake sword. I slowly pull mine away from hers and "pretend" to sheath it. "And then he says, that if I can marry by the blue moon month, I can have Fanelia."  
  
I let out a sigh and scratch the back of my head. "Sometimes, I wish someone would come steal this job away from me...but I know I can't run from responsibility."  
  
Shiryo puts a small smile on her face and folds her hands together. "No one is better fit for this job than you," she says with her smile growing. "It's not a job or repsonsiblity to you like to most monarchial leaders you often hear about...no," she says shaking her head. "No, it's about the people; your pain is their pain, they are hungry and you are hungry for them. No one is better suited, so don't say that you feel like it's work..."  
  
"I suppose your right," I say closing my eyes feeling the wind pass by.  
  
"Van, that was a horribly mean joke..." calls a voice from a distance.  
  
Shiryo looks at me with a confused look and I spin around to see who it is.   
  
"Hitomi, girl, how are you? I can't believe you let your hair grow out!" Allen spins Shiryoku around.  
  
"Oh, you weren't lying," Allen says sheepishly. "She looks a lot like Hitomi though...who is she?"  
  
I look at Shiryo and motion for her to introduce herself. She startles me when she give a short curtsey and says, "I am very pleased to meet you Schezar-san, my name is Shiryoku Yukari Kanzaki Akane."  
  
"Shiryoku Kanzaki Akane?" Allen asks with a raised eyebrow looking at me. I simply nod my head in agreement. "Then you mean to tell me, she's some relation to Miss Hitomi?" Allen eyes keep growing wider with every confirmation. "How do you know me?"  
  
"My oka-san told me all about you..." Shiryoku says in a childlike voice. Allen still doesn't believe it.  
  
"More informally, Allen," I say taking his hand and placing Shiryo's in it, "meet Hitomi's daughter." Allen wasn't expecting this at all, I could tell. It even appeared as if he went a little weak in the knees when he knelt to kiss the top of her hand. "I guess neither of us was the better man then, huh?"  
  
"It's a long story," I say glancing at Shiryoku who looks like she is getting offened.  
  
"LORD VAN! LORD VAN! LORD VAN!" cries an all too familar voice waving a doctor's bag in the air. Shiryoku lets out a small giggle. It's Merlu rushing Millerna up to take care of me. A few familar others are following her, such as the Moleman, Gaddes, and Dryden who appears to be extremely out of breath.   
  
They all stop when they reach the are of the field that we are in, staring at Shiryoku. She slowly slides behind me peeking her eyes out from a side. "Why are they all staring at me?" she whispers.  
  
"Well, I stared at you too the first time I met you..." I say trying to pry her from my back. "I know, but I was holding a dead body in my hands, I would have stared at me too!" she says finally letting go.  
  
Millerna takes a step foward and starts to clean my shoulder wound while staring at Shiryoku. "You probably shouldn't have made that last statement," I say while wincing from the cleaner. "Oh hush, you're always such a baby when it comes to this part...." Millerna says with a motherly tone and an impish grin. "So, we're all wanting an explaination, Van," Millerna says quietly glancing back at the girl.   
  
Merlu's hair and tail is standing up on end. She's growling and her eyes are red. "YEAH, WHO IS THAT GIRL?" she mutters with a hiss.  
  
I think to myself with a sigh, "I didn't want to explain to everyone right now, but I guess I must." I pause a second and make sure I have everyone's attention. "She's Hitomi's daughter, Shiryoku." Some of them let out gasps, some of them simply hung their mouths open, some of them simply gaped at the girl even more. "But how?" Millerna asked as she continued to bandage my shoulder. "I'll explain when we get back to the castle. I'm sure everyone here is wanting to know."  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
"MARIUS!" screamed a dry, feeble voice. "MARIUS!"  
  
"Yes, m'lord, I'm here! I just got back!" Marius screamed back impatiently.   
"Well, did you follow the plan?" asked the voice as it cracked.  
"Everything fell into place except for bringing the girl to me...she doesn't trust me..." Marius said removing his hood.  
"SO, the dragon has the girl AGAIN?" the old voice asked annoyed by this fact.  
"Yes, m'lord he does, but not to worry, I'm making the boy get married, surely that new woman will drive her away...and right into my arms, so to say..."  
"Sounds like it should work, and what if she still resists?"  
"Then, I'll expose the truth about her so called "friend," Marius ended this statement with an evil laugh.  
"WONDERFUL! And how is the work on my mechabod coming?"  
"As soon as we can get an acceptable drag engergist, it will just need some tweaking from there...otherwise, it's ready..."  
"And Escaflowne? And the Fate Alteration Machine?"  
"Escaflowne is still in the hands of the dragon; the FAM II is almost complete. It should be done within three days. When the dragon loses his throne, Escaflowne will be in my hands and the FAM II will have had PLENTY of time by then to be perfected."  
"And what of the Vector of men's hearts? Did you direct it towards war?"  
"Sir, Basram and Freid have already been bickering about trival political matters. I only instigated further problems to those that already existed. It seems that the people trust me more than their precious leader."  
"EXCELLENT MARIUS, EXCELLENT! You are succeeding your father as a sorcerer!"  
  
Marius leaves with a smirk on his face. He ascends up the stone stairs and stares out to what used to be the city of Atlantis. Suddenly, Hitomi's spirit appears. "Don't you hurt my little girl! I swear..." "What will you do?" Marius says with a sneer. "You're a simple spirit...you can't leave the Mystic Valley." "Yes, but I can reach my daughter's heart!" Hitomi yells as Marius passes through her. "And human hearts are swayed easily to easily sway the mind..." Marius says with a nonchanlant gesture. "She'll never believe you!" Hitomi says getting cross. "Wouldn't you rather your daughter to live in a perfect world, never knowing sorrow,pain, and tragedy? Don't you see? I can give her all that and a place of stature! It's so much better than what little she has on your pitiful Mystic Moon...she doesn't have any friends there, an empty house, an empty life..." "WELL, it's not HER fault I died..." Hitomi says with an indignant look. "No, it isn't," Marius says with an evil tone. "Goodbye, Hitomi, I have matters that need tending to...I do hope we may chat again sometime!" Marius calls to her as he continues to walk away.   
  
Hitomi folds her arms. "He'd better not exploit her powers...but I can't do much...in the end...it's her choice..." she mumbles as she goes back to the large tree she usually stays around.  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
"Lord Van, there's something we need to discuss," Dryden said in a grave tone. He cut his eyes around the room and then back to me. "Alone."  
"If everyone wouldn't mind..." I said motioning out of my room. "Just make sure that thing stays on tight," Millerna said jerking the knot even tighter and leaving with a smile. "YEA, TIGHT!" Merlu jerks it again. "Geez, you two are going to kill me!"  
  
Everyone leaves and Drdyen hurriedly shuts the door. "She's Hitomi's daughter correct?" "Right," I say with a bit of unsuredness in my voice. "Look at this..." Dryden says pulling out a old, worn, leather bound book. "It's Issac's journal, like Allen's Father's journal...it fills all the missing gaps in his father's...and then some...the book tells of an Ispano prophecy..." Dryden's eyes narrow over his half moon glasses."If that's the case, we've got huge problems on our hands now..."  
  
I felt my heart skip a beat. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, someone is planning to re-awaken Escaflowne, and it won't be you..." he said leaning with a hand on the table.  
"And then?"  
"And then, someone re-acitvates the Fate Alteration Machine, the Zone of Absolute Fortune, and the last stage of the process..."  
"..........." I stared a Dryden, my gut filled with fear.  
"Destruction or Salvation of one of the sister planets."  
"What are you saying?" I say knitting my eyebrows together in concern.  
"If what the prophecy says is true, someone was to bring the Herione of the Great War's daughter to Gaea. There will be much bickering between kingdoms and even disputes over the thrones. Someone is going to take advantage of this and as chaos slowly breaks out, they'll steal Escaflowne and hook it up to the Fate Alteration Machine. This starts phase two. Phase two is the Zone of Absolute Fortune, where the person in Escaflowne can foretell the absolute future, if it's hooked up to the Fate Alteration Machine. If the future they forsee isn't what they wish for, they may wish to change it. If that person wishes strongly enough, they may bring forth the Dragon's Maiden. There are two forces of Dragons: The Dragons of Heaven and the Dragons of Earth. The Dragon's Maiden will side with either Heaven, which is Gaea, and preserve it, or Earth, which is the Mystic Moon, and destory Gaea. Either way, one of the planets WILL perish..."  
  
"Lord Van!" called Allen from outside the door. I ignored him. "What's to say this is true Dryden?" I asked with a skeptics instincts. "Lord Van! It's urgent! A messenger from Basram is here!"  
  
Dryden simply folded his arms. "Have the Ispano let us down yet?"  
  
"No, never..." I said glancing at the ground.   
  
"Let the messenger in and see what he has to say..." Dryden said becoming even more cocky.  
  
I fling the doors open and a rather plump messenger hands me this letter:  
  
With warm regards to the grand King of Fanelia, in his Second Glorious Year,  
  
My liege, Basram was allied with your country during the Great War until the bitter end, where we all turned one against another. Basram is truly sorry for this, and we wish to express our sincerest apologies. We also wish to express, that, we are under a new leadership since our last leader guided us along a path to war. We wish to introduce Marius La Cour de Fanel as our newest King and would hope you would be able to attend his coronation. Last but not least, Basram is having trouble with the Kingdom of Freid. We would like for you to confirm your alliance with us by attending the coronation of Lord Marius.  
  
Sincerest regards from the Great Kingdom of Basram,  
  
Nichon Alexander Donegels III  
Royal Advisor to the grand King of Basram  
  
"Oh no..." I thought to myself as my heart sank. I looked at Dryden and handed him the letter, my eyes whispering to him my fear. He rerturned with the same look after finishing reading the letter.  
  
"Sir, I must know whether you are coming or not," said the messenger impatiently.  
  
I glanced again at Dryden who was better at these things than most of my advisors. "Could you leave us a second?" Dryden said with a sarcastic smile as he slammed the doors in the face of the messenger.  
  
"Legal ties, you have to go..." Dryden said pushing his glasses back up on his nose.  
  
"But Marius..." I stuttered. "He has Basram, why would he want Fanelia?"  
  
"Think about where we are in relation to Basram, Van," Dryden said.  
  
"Fanelia, Basram, Asturia, and Freid are the four corner kingdoms...If one were to take over those four, he could have all of the continent!" I said after a moment of thinking back on my king's training.  
  
"Exactly, I suggest you go, not only to make Fanelia look good, but to...how shall we say..." Dryden makes the quote signs in the air with his fingers, "spy and gather information." He winks and re-opens the doors. "My Lord has agreed to attend the coronation," he says with a sly smirk.  
  
"That is all I needed to hear. Transportation will be provided for him and a Lady friend of his choosing. Coronation ceremonies will begin at high noon two lunars from today. I must go now, but thank you for supporting Basram." The messenger plows through the rest of the crowd and leaves the castle premises.  
  
Everyone watches as he leaves but my eyes are searching for Shiryoku. "Did anyone see where Shiryoku went?"  
  
"No, come to think of it, I think she left long before that man got here..." said Millerna.  
  
"Oh man...I guess I'd better start looking for her...Dryden, I want you to stay here; I want to read that book for myself. Allen, if you wouldn't mind, I'd also like for you to stay. I'll send for a carriage to take you back to your house and get your wife and child to bring them here. "Millerna, keep your kingdom heavily guarded."  
  
"Van," she said getting that damsel in distress look on her face, "What's going on?"  
  
"Don't worry about it; for now, it's under control..." I say while running down the hallway trying to guess where Shiryoku went.  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
I let out a huge sigh. "I'm lost in a huge castle...I should've known better than to go off exploring!" I say with a giggle tossing my arms behind my head taking large steps. I began to hum a little melody. "Lalalalala...lalala....lalalalaaa..."  
  
"Hmn?" I felt the wind whispering to me. It was coming from outside. I saw a window overflowing with golden rays. I run over to the window and lean over it just a bit. Below me, appears to be the royal graveyard and then there's a big piece of machineary that looks very old. "...Maiden of Song...come to me..."  
  
I squint as I continue to peer down at the machine. I thought I saw it move. I geuss not. "As for the voices," I say with a sigh, "I'm used to it by now."  
  
I walk away from the window and keep looking for the way back to where I was. Everything looked the same though and the castle was so big. I then came across a little tapestry that had what appeared to be a family portiat woven into it. "He was such a cute little boy!" I squeeled with delight upon seeing Van about five or six years old being held by his older brother. "Folken wasn't too shabby himself," I say with a smile.  
  
"Are you gawking at my older brother?" Van said with a smile as he leaned upon the wall. I flush a bright shade of red. "Uhhhh, no I am not."  
  
"Liar," he says as he grabs my wrist and drags me back out into daylight.   
  
"How did you ever learn your way around this place?"   
  
"You know, I haven't been able to figure that out myself. How'd you like a tour of the kingdom?" Van said with a smile.  
  
"OH! I'd love it!" I say while clasping my hands together.   
  
"Great! Well, let me go get a carriage set up and we'll start it in a little bit. "Would you wait here until time to go?"   
  
"Sure," I say while folding my arms behind my back. Van quickly leaves and there goes that wind whispering to me agian. "Maiden of Song...come to me...come to me...I need your help..."  
  
I quickly spin around and see that machine again in the distance. "OH NO WAY!" I say gasping for air, my heart racing out of my chest. "That machine did not just MOVE!"  
  
Suddenly, as quickly as I had lost my breath, Van returned and offered his hand to help me into the carriage. I tried to forget about the machine, but I couldn't help but stare at it. Did I imagine that? Or was it real?  
  
The carriage drove off quickly, but my mind was still mulling over the machine. Nevermind though, I was getting to see Van's Kingdom!  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Ok, kinda a bad spot to end, but I didn't want to leave you off at the Escaflowne moves part and provide another cliffie! So, just R&R and I'll be back soon! I love ya'll! ~jj~ 


End file.
